


Alter of Waru

by Talon88



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 15:50:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 55,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17531672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talon88/pseuds/Talon88
Summary: This is an Alternate Universe Luke/Mara love story based on the Legends novels.  Don't let the angst at the beginning of the story turn you off.  It gets more upbeat as you go along.





	1. Chapter 1

 

* * *

 _**Jade Shadow** _ **currently orbiting Upekzar~~**

Luke sat at the small desk in the captain's cabin of the _Jade Shadow_ tapping on his datapad as he finalized the after-action report from his most recent mission. He stopped and starred blankly at the data readout until he decided he was too tired to finish anything tonight. He switched off the device and placed it in the side desk compartment.

As he went to close the drawer he noticed something sparkling in the corner. He reached down and found an earring…Mara's earring. A sad smile crossed his face. He remembered finding it a year ago under the bunk. Mara had lost it about a month before her death and now it was another reminder of his loss; in fact, the whole ship was a reminder.

He had yet to move out her belongings. Luke knew he should, but he couldn't give her up entirely. When he saw her flight suit tucked snuggly next to his in the small bulkhead closet he could imagine that she really wasn't gone. He could almost feel her spirit within the hull walls. He always felt comforted within the _Shadow_. He squeezed the earring in his hand at the sad realization that in two weeks it would have been their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

There was a light rap on the cabin door. Luke could sense his son's Force signature burning brightly on the other side. "Come on in Ben," he said as he dropped the earring back into the drawer and slid it shut.

The redheaded teen entered the cabin and despite the horrific events of the last few weeks Luke found himself smiling at the sight of his son. Ben was now the light of his life…the only bright spot since Mara's death. Ben reminded Luke so much of his mother in looks and personality. Luke didn't know what he would do if he ever lost Ben.

"Dad, the recovery team returned. They weren't able to retrieve any more bodies."

Luke gave a stiff nod. The Jedi suffered severe casualties when they fell into Abeloth's trap on Upekzar. He was just lucky that Vestara was with his son when the mutated Dream Singer attacked. It was unfortunate that Natua didn't make it out with them. She was such an enthusiastic Jedi—full of life and promise. Luke had hoped he could bring her body home to her family.

"Thanks Ben. Contact the other Jedi and tell them to rendezvous at the predetermined coordinates I issued."

"Okay," Ben moved to leave but then hesitated and gave his father a concerned look. Luke knew his son worried about him. The search for Abeloth was exacting a high toil on Luke's health and mental wellbeing. Sometimes he wondered if peace would ever be achieved in his lifetime. He had been fighting wars since he left Tatooine and Ben was born into a war. The hostilities never ceased, only the players changed.

Luke sighed. "I'm alright Ben, you go on ahead."

Ben gave his father a somber half-smile as he turned and left the cabin. Luke stood and leaned back stretching his spine and working out the kinks. At sixty-three standard years of age he was only slightly past his midlife point, but the last few years seemed to accelerate the aging process. He was getting too old for this. Fighting galactic wars was a young man's job.

Deciding to go into a meditative trance he moved toward his bunk when he suddenly felt lightheaded. He sat down heavily on his bed hoping the sensation of vertigo would ease, but the symptoms only became worse. He now had trouble breathing. It felt like the air around him had the consistency of syrup as his lungs struggled to take in oxygen. He had the sensation of floating and for a moment as he wondered if the gravity compensator of the _Shadow_ had failed.

"Ben!" he cried out as he collapsed to the deck.

As darkness swam in front of his eyes two pair of arms suddenly grab him from under his shoulders and began tugging at him.

' _It must be Ben and Vestara—they're moving me to the medical bay,'_ were Luke's last coherent thoughts before he blacked out.

.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

"Luke, Luke!"

Luke slowly blinked his eyes and squinted into the overhead lights. His vision was blurred but he could make out the outline of Leia and Han.

' _What are they doing here? They're supposed to be on Coruscant.'_

Luke could hear the pounding of feet around him intermixed with a multitude of voices and sporadic screams. He was no longer on the _Shadow_ ; that he knew for certain. He turned his head and realized he was lying on the floor of some type of interior courtyard.

"Where am I?" Luke asked trying to focus his eyes.

"Crseih Station," Han said. Luke could hear the concern in his voice. "Are you alright Luke?"

"Crseih Station! Why am I here?" Luke asked while spitting out a vile tasting viscous fluid from his mouth.

"Luke," Leia said softly as she wiped some sticky syrupy liquid off his face. "You decided to save Anakin by giving yourself over to Waru. Han and I pulled you out."

"That happened decades ago," Luke said as he wiped yellow ichor out of his eyes. He looked up and was finally was able to focus on Han and Leia's faces. He pulled in a quick breath—shocked at what he saw. It was his sister and brother-in-law, but they were so young. Leia looked no older than thirty.

Luke reached out to her and caught a glimpse of his hand. The fine wrinkles that had appeared over the decades were gone. They were the hands of a young man. "Oh Force," he looked around the station. "Where's Ben?"

Han gave him a strange look. "Luke, Ben died on the Death Star over a decade ago."

Luke shook his head in frustration. "Not Obi-Wan. Where's my son Ben?"

Leia and Han looked at each other in confusion.

Leia put her hand on Luke's shoulder. "Luke, Waru must have done something to you. You don't have a son."

Luke's mind frantically tried to understand what was happening. "What year is it?"

Han frowned. "It's fourteen years after the Battle of Yavin."

Luke started to shake. This couldn't be happening. What happened? Did he die? Was he in a coma hallucinating? But the main question was, where was his son?

"He's going into shock Leia," Luke could hear Han's voice call out in panic…and then blackness.

.

.

* * *

_**~Yavin 4~** _

Cilghal the Mon Calamari Jedi healer exited the examination room and went to the waiting area where Leia and Han paced anxiously.

"I had to sedate him when he became too distraught, but he told me an extraordinary story." The Mon Calamari gestured for Leia and Han to sit down as she took a seat across from them. "I don't know what happened while he was in Waru, but Luke is under the impression that this is 44 ABY. In his mind he has lived out the last 30 years, he married, had a son, fought a galactic war, lost his wife and was now is a single father raising his teenage son."

Han shook his head. "He was only inside Waru for less than a minute, how could he dream up thirty years of memories?"

Cilghal cocked her head, the Mon Calamari equivalent of a shrug. "I'm not sure. I researched about other beings who have entered Waru and returned and they all reported seeing visions or having hallucinations. Waru is from an alternate dimension, so it is possible a few minutes could be perceived by a human as years…it may explain the great detail in this fantasy world he created."

Leia and Han gave each other a quick curious glance. "We didn't get to talk to Luke after he passed out." Leia said perplexed. "So, I'm not quite sure what he believes. Does he have a name of this wife he thinks he is married to?"

Cilghal hesitated for a moment. "He believes he married Mara Jade in 19 ABY and they conceived a son he named Ben in 26 ABY."

Han couldn't help but scoff. "Mara! She barely tolerates his presence."

The healer bobbed her head in agreement. "I think what happened is while Luke was trapped in Waru he concocted a world where he was able to experience his greatest desires, but at the same time his greatest fears were also played out." Cilghal looked down at the floor for a moment collecting her thoughts before continuing.

"I believe he's been harboring some desire for Mara Jade. When he entered Waru, he subconsciously attempted to create a world revolving around that desire, but his greatest fears were also at work—which was the fear of rejection. Therefore he conceived an ingenious way to get her to marry him. He dreamed up a situation where he and Mara bonded within the Force. In his fantasy they both became of one mind…knowing everything about each other. It's my belief that Luke thought if Mara could see inside his soul she would understand his love for her and she would love him in return." The healer shook her head in wonder. "The detail and complexity of his story is amazing."

Leia moaned. "Has he asked to see Mara?"

"No," Cilghal said slowly. "In his world Mara died four years ago. He is still mourning her loss, but now he's in terrible anguish over the loss of his son."

Han threw his hands up in frustration. "He doesn't have a son. Mara's alive. Nobody died."

The Mon Calamari blinked her eyes slowly. "This is very real to him. Ben might not be a real person, but to Luke it feels like he has lost another loved one. He lost a wife and now a son…he has lost his entire family.


	2. Chapter 2

When Leia entered Luke's room she found him staring blankly at the wall. "Luke," she called out softly so not to startle him. He turned towards the sound of her voice, his eyes bloodshot and filled with unshed tears. His gaze was blank and unfocused. It was the same thousand parsec stare that she'd seen in the faces of the Alderaan expatriates in the weeks and months following the planet's destruction—it was the look of a person who lost everything. He didn't speak; he simply looked silently in her direction for a moment before his gaze turned back to the wall.

Leia had never seen her brother so despondent and his presence in the Force was full of anguish and despair. She sat down in a chair next to his bed. He didn't look up or acknowledge her existence further.

"Luke, please look at me," she begged.

"You're not real." Luke said quietly. "I don't know what happened, but this time has come and gone for me."

"Luke, you have to believe me, this is real. You were inside Waru for only a few minutes. The memories you have are all a dream."

"How do I know this isn't the dream…a kriff'n nightmare!" Luke yelled at his sister making her jump. She couldn't remember a time where he talked to her so forcefully.

"Luke," Leia said tenderly and picking her words carefully, "Cilghal tracked down reports of other pilgrims to Waru who experienced similar visions or dreams as you did."

Luke sat up in bed. "Then take me back to Waru! I would rather live the remainder of my life out in that dream…with my son." Luke's voice faltered, cracking with emotion. "I can't lose him. I lost too much already." The tears flowed freely as he bit down on his lower lip to keep it from trembling.

"Oh Luke," Leia went and hugged her brother. "Even if what you believe is true…you can't go back. Waru's gone. He disappeared from Crseih Station. That isn't an option."

Luke fell back down on the bed. "I need to wake up," he muttered. "I must be in a medward with Ben looking over me. I have to wake up. He's real." He turned toward Leia. "My son is real!" he cried out.

Leia didn't know what to say. It would be cruel for her to insist that the boy he loved and raised was just a figment of his imagination. All she could do was cry with him...cry for Luke and for the memory of a boy who never was.

.

.

"How is he?" Han asked anxiously when Leia left Luke's medward room.

Leia shook her head. "He is in bad shape."

Han ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Doesn't he understand it was just a hallucination or a dream?"

"Han how do you think you would feel if Luke pulled you out of Waru and then said you never married and you have no children?"

Han blanched. "Stang, I would probably go barvy." He rubbed his temples where a headache was forming. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

Leia sighed. "Cilghal says until he accepts what's happened and comes to terms with it…there isn't much we can do. In the mean time Cilghal placed a medical droid in his room to keep him under watch…just as a precaution."

Han frowned. "As a precaution for what?" Before Leia could respond his eyes widened at the realization of what she meant. "You mean a suicide watch!" Han scoffed and made a dismissive gesture. "Luke would never do anything crazy like that. Look what he's been through already. If he was going to snap it would have happened years ago."

"I realize that Han, but you have to understand, Luke doesn't believe this world is real. We don't know what he may or may not do in this situation." She sat down on the waiting room couch. "Cilghal said she wants to limit his visitors and allow him time to think."

Han settled down next to her. "What about Mara? Could she bring him out of this funk? He thought he was married to her for over twenty years."

Leia closed her eyes and sighed. "Han, Luke knows Mara exists here, but he hasn't asked to see her. I believe he's processed her death and doesn't want to open old wounds. I don't think he wants to risk falling in love again and then he wakes up from a coma in his world with his son…but he's once again a widower."

"But he won't! That was a dream." Han protested.

"He doesn't know that! Until he is convinced this world is real he can't get on with his life."

Han buried his head in his hands. "We can't just let him languish in a hospital room under guard until he accepts a reality that is horrific to him."

"Cilghal said she is going to counsel him, she thinks she can bring him around and eventually slowly introduce him back to this reality." She stretched her arm out putting her hand on her husband's knee.

He reached down and took her hand in his and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I guess we'll have to wait then."

.

.

Cilghal pulled a chair up to Luke's bed. "Luke, is it alright if I record these sessions…just in case what you experienced was a Force vision of the future?"

Luke turned toward the Mon Calamari healer. "You can do whatever you want. I don't care."

Cilghal turned the recorder on and placed it on the table next to his bed. "Luke, can you tell me what you remember happening after you were pulled out of Waru…not what happened in the last few days, but what you believe happened in the other timeline."

"Why?"

"Luke, I know you believe you are in a dream now, but just humor me. After all, if you are wrong and what you remember is a future vision, knowing exactly what happened could save countless lives."

Luke laid in bed silently staring at the ceiling. "So you want me to help you prevent the imaginary deaths of imaginary people." Luke closed his eyes and gave a sarcastic chuckle.

Cilghal blinked her eyes in frustration. She had never seen a psychosis so deeply embedded in a person before. Whatever Waru did to Master Skywalker had a profound impact on the Jedi, but hopefully it was curable. Unfortunately, because she didn't know what happened it would be difficult to treat.

Normally antipsychotic drugs, neuroleptic medication or electroshock therapy would be possible treatments for a person experiencing a dissociative disorder. The trouble was…she didn't know if Master Skywalker was actually suffering from a medical problem. Waru _was_ from a different dimension. Could Luke have been transported into another alternate reality where time had no meaning? If that was the case, there was nothing wrong with him…other than he just lost everything he loved and worked for in that lifetime.

She ran through a relaxing technique Master Skywalker taught her years ago and then continued. "Luke, no matter what happened while you were in Waru, you're here now. I know you believe your existence here is imaginary…if so then there's no harm in you acting out this dream as if it were a real life. If you are actually in a coma dreaming, do you want to spend the next five, ten or twenty years depressed and staring at these four walls? Look at it as a second chance at your life."

Luke scoffed. "I don't want a second chance. I don't want to start over." He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Cilghal, I was sixty-three years old. Ben was going to turn eighteen. I was looking forward to seeing him marry…maybe giving me grandchildren."

"That can still happen here," Cilghal reminded him. "Maybe not the way you remember, but marriage and children are definitely possible."

Luke shook his head. "No, I don't want to replay my life." He gave the Mon Calamari a sad look. "Cilghal, you're too young to understand this, but think about your uncle Ackbar. In 14 ABY, the date you say it is, he's almost sixty standard years old. How to you think he would feel if he woke up tomorrow and he was back during the time of the Clone Wars and was fighting Battle of Mon Cala again?"

"I suppose he wouldn't be thrilled about enduring the war a second time, but I think he would use his knowledge and try to prevent as much carnage as possible."

"But you are telling me I made up all my memories, they're hallucinations…so I don't have anything of use to tell you." Luke persisted.

"Unless they are visions of the future, that's what I want to find out, but I need more information so we can investigate. For example, it wouldn't be difficult to send out probe droids to Nirauan to see what's there. If there is a lost tribe of Sith on this planet you call Kesh…we need to find it. But I need more details before we send out expeditions."

"Fine," Luke grumbled. He paused for a moment and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "After I was pulled from Waru the first time…I remember going to Coruscant to the site of my father's old stronghold. I rebuilt it and soon met Akanah. She was a Fallanassi Adept who claimed to know the identity of my mother…"

.

.

It took quite a long time to dictate thirty years of memories, but Luke soon realized it could be quite cathartic. As he described his strange and twisted path through the years the more he questioned his belief that the memories were real. Perhaps Cilghal was correct and his mind had lived out some of his greatest fears and desires. Several of the scenarios he described were almost comical…like Jaina joining a bug cult. Other circumstances weren't as humorous but looking back the situations appeared to be convenient plot devices to play out his fears. Luke knew he worried about not being able to protect his family, so he conjured up the Yuuzhan Vong—creatures bent on pursuing galactic war and who coincidently were impervious to the Force and traditional weapons.

He feared one of his students or family members would turn to the darkside. So he came up with a way for poor Jacen to be turned…by enduring years of torture in the hands of a Jedi turned Sith that looked like an overgrown Endorian Chicken?! Luke wondered if there was hidden meaning in that. Then there was the fear of losing a wife or child, and one of those fears was played out when Jacen killed Mara. Luke shook his head. The Mara he knew, the one who saved him on Wayland, would never have snuck off to take on a Sith alone. She was much smarter than that. And the thought that Jacen could kill her…it was preposterous.

And finally, it looked like his fear of losing his son would probably result in Ben's demise. Luke made up an entire world of Sith and some ancient super-powerful dark force user named Abeloth to play out his last biggest fear. The fact that Abeloth had Callista's face at one point should have clued him in that it was an improbable scenario where he was subconsciously exacting revenge. He was hurt and angry when Callista left him and broke his heart. So while in Waru Luke imagined her soul eaten by a monstrous dark creature and if that wasn't enough Luke later used mnemotherapy to permanently kill her off.

He was sure psychiatrists could spend years trying to tease out the hidden meanings of this Waru-induced hallucination…if that _is_ what truly happened. He still wasn't sure, but Cilghal was right…he was stuck here, so he should make the best of it.

After he finished describing his life after Waru, Luke was thankful that Cilghal excused herself to make some notes.

He was tired—more tired then he's been in his entire life. He closed his eyes and prayed for dreamless sleep.

.

.

**_Medical Notes_ **

**_Subject: Master Luke Skywalker_ **

**_Dictated: Cilghal_ **

**_It has been over a week since Master Skywalker was pulled from the creature named Waru. When he was first brought to me he was experiencing what I perceived as a dissociative disorder. Master Skywalker believed he lived to the year 44 ABY prior to finding himself back on Crseih Station in the year 14 ABY. In his mind he had married Mara Jade and had a son named Ben. Mara died in 40 ABY and for the next 4 years Master Skywalker raised his son alone._ **

**_Upon waking up in 14 ABY, Master Skywalker has been mainly concerned about the fate of his son, Ben. He is very distraught at the thought that the young man never existed. He has not asked to see Mara Jade, although he knows she exists in this reality. I believe seeing her would only serve to distress him further. I have contacted Talon Karrde and have cancelled the Academy's shipping contract with the company. This should prevent Mara Jade from inadvertently running into Master Skywalker and upsetting him further. If Master Skywalker asks to see her I will consult with Mara Jade at that time._ **

**_Master Skywalker is slowly accepting the fact that he is experiencing false memories due to his experience with Waru. I will attempt to slowly assimilate him back to his teaching duties at the Academy. I believe keeping his mind occupied and focused on something other than his son Ben will help the Jedi Master adapt to his current circumstances._ **


	3. Chapter 3

**_Wild Karrde Shuttle: Hydian Way Run_ **

"What do you mean my shipping contract to the Academy was cancelled?" Mara Jade spat out angrily.

"I'm sorry Mara," Talon Karrde's voice came over the ship's radio. "There was no explanation, only regrets and a cancelation. I eventually was able to talk to the supply clerk and even she wasn't sure what was going on. She said the order came from the top…I assume Skywalker. We can figure this out later. You might as well come back to the _Wild Karrde_."

"I'll be back as soon as I talk to Skywalker. He's not getting out of paying for this current shipment," Mara snarled. "Jade out!"

She snapped the radio off abruptly. She couldn't believe Skywalker would renege on a contract at the last minute! She paid for the cargo upfront and if she had to find another buyer at the last minute it was going to cut deep into her bottom line. Did he think ship fuel was cheap? She had been running supplies out to that backwater rimworld Academy for a little above cost—just to help him out and this is how he replays her? Mara was fuming. She was sure this was in some way in retaliation for her never finishing her training. "He can cancel the contract, but he is going to do it to my face and he _will_ reimburse me for this last shipment or he'll have hell to pay!"

.

.

**_Yavin IV_ **

As she made her approach to the planet Mara contacted the Academy's incoming flight operations to inform them of her arrival. As anticipated, nobody appeared to know she was no longer expected to arrive. She landed the shuttle and cleared the ground personnel to remove the cargo. She didn't need a month's worth of foodstuffs. She was going to get her credits one way or another.

She stomped down the loading ramp and into the planet's warm, humid air. She could hear the incessant din of a million insects buzzing and chirping in the jungle heat and the cries of some predator in the distance. She didn't miss Yavin IV. Why Skywalker decided to establish the Academy on a planet that is often described as the sweaty armpit of the galaxy she had no idea. She quickly made her way into the temple and up the two flights of stairs to Skywalker's living quarters. By the time she arrived to his door she had planned out exactly how she was going to tear into him—up one side and down the other.

She could sense him within the room…but he felt different in the Force…muted. For a second she wondered if he was ill, but quickly decided she didn't care. She squared her shoulders readying herself the confrontation. Sick or not, he was going to hear her out. She pressed the door indicator and then opened the door and walked in uninvited.

Luke was sitting at a small desk reading his datapad as she entered. He looked up and then dropped the device on the floor. Mara immediately felt shock and despair flooding off the Jedi. He stared at her slack jawed and wide-eyed as he slowly rose to his feet.

"Mara…" his voice was cracked with emotion and his face paled as the blood appeared to drain from his face. Mara's rehearsed diatribe she planned to unleash on Skywalker immediately vanished from her mind.

"Skywalker, are you alright?"

"Mara," he repeated softly as he stepped away from his desk and slowly moved towards her. She took a tentative step back as Luke walked up to her and quickly grabbed her up in his arms. Mara tensed in a near panic as the Jedi crushed her to his body. He was trembling and Mara soon realized he was sobbing her name. "Mara, Mara…I've missed you."

"What?" Mara yelled as she quickly and forcefully pushed him away. "Skywalker, have you gone insane! What's wrong with you?"

Luke stumbled back on unsteady legs, his face a mask of sorrow. Suddenly the strength seemed to ebb from his body as he slowly slumped to the floor still mumbling her name.

"Oh kriff!" Mara swore as she quickly went to the intercom system on the wall. She pressed the button for the infirmary. "We have a medical emergency in Luke Skywalker's quarters!"

A gravely voice came over the speaker. "Is this Mara Jade?"

"Yes Cilghal, get over here!" Mara shouted. She turned back to Luke who had stopped mumbling and was now sitting on the floor with his head buried in his hands. "Skywalker, what happened? What's wrong?"

He remained unresponsive. "Luke, are you sick?" Mara asked as she hesitantly kneeled down next to him. She looked around the room, not sure what she was searching for. "Is there something I can get you? Are you on medication?"

The Jedi didn't have time to respond. Cilghal and another female Jedi healer rushed into Skywalker's quarters. "Luke, look at me." Cilghal ordered the Jedi. Luke looked up, but when he caught sight of Mara his lowered his head again and stared at the floor. "Give me 50ccs." Cilghal told her human assistant and then injected something into Luke's neck with a hypodermic spray. Luke immediately relaxed and the two Jedi helped him up and put him on his bed.

Cilghal turned and gave Mara a look which was probably the equivalent of a Mon Calamari glare. "I cancelled the shipment, you shouldn't be here!"

Mara bristled and immediately went on the defensive. "Your Academy is going to pay for the cargo. I prepaid for it out of my funds."

"You'll get your money!" Cilghal shot back. "I didn't want him to see you yet!" She shook her head and returned her attention to Luke. After checking his vitals Cilghal turned back to Mara and sighed. "Since he's knows you're here, you need to stay until we get some things cleared up."

Mara shook her head angrily. "I don't know what's going on, but you don't tell me what I _will_ or _will not_ do. I'm getting the cargo unloaded and I am out of here." She went to leave but found an irate Mon Calamari bearing down on her.

"If you have one ounce of compassion for that man," Cilghal pointed to Luke who was lying unconscious on the bed, "you _will_ stay!"

Cilghal didn't intimidate Mara, but the fact that the Jedi healer was so incensed that she would actually attempt to do so made Mara pause. Something was definitely wrong here.

"Okay," she said slowly still bristling from the confrontation. "I'll stay for a while," she looked over to Luke. "What's with Skywalker?"

The Mon Calamari went over to Luke and gazed down on him. "I gave him a mild sedative. He's been under tremendous stress the last week. I didn't want him to go into shock again. He'll awaken shortly."

"Again?" Mara said confused. "What the kriff is going on?"

Cilghal let out an exasperated breath. She turned to her assistant. "Go back to the infirmary. I have things under control." The young Jedi nodded and left the room. Cilghal pulled out a chair from the desk and slid it over to Mara. "Sit down, this is going to take awhile."

.

.

Mara sat in the chair silently as Cilghal finished her story. She wasn't sure what she should feel about the tale told to her. She definitely didn't want to deal with this situation, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel sympathy for Skywalker. He dreamed up a world where they were married and had a child—a world where he grieved over her death for years—and then she suddenly bursts into his room blindsiding the man.

Mara looked up at the Jedi healer. "I'm not sure what you want me to do. Should I stay away? I'm definitely not going to play into his fantasies…if that's what you are hoping for."

Cilghal gazed at the floor in thought. "Mara, human psychology is not my expertise, but I do believe if you totally avoid him it will distress him further. Luke understands the world he created in Waru is no longer part of his reality. I think that is why he didn't immediately ask to see you. He knows you are not the woman he was married to for twenty-one years. He needed time to adjust to his situation before he could face you."

Mara rubbed her temples trying to work out the tension. "Why did he pick me? Why didn't his imagination conjure up Callista or some HoloNet starlet?"

"You would have to ask him that."

Mara shook her head. "I'm not going to talk to him about our…marriage." The word felt foreign to her. She had no idea why in the worlds Skywalker would dream up a situation where they are married. Suddenly a horrifying thought crossed her mind. "Gods Cilghal, he thinks we had sex."

Cilghal chuckled. "Unless Master Skywalker discovered a way to create a child using the Force…yes, I assume he believes he had sex with you."

Mara closed her eyes. "Stang! I can't stay here. What if he wants to…"

Cilghal shook her large head. "Mara, Master Skywalker is a gentleman. I don't think he is going to toss you onto his bed and ravish you. All I ask is that you talk to him. He needs some closure." The Jedi healer stood. "He'll wake up soon. I'm going back to the office and reinstate your contract. I only cancelled it to avoid this situation. I'll ensure the proper funds are transferred."

She went to the door and looked back at Mara. "Call if you need help, but I don't think he'll cause you any trouble…he loves you."

 


	4. Chapter 4

As the door slid shut Mara buried her head in her hands and moaned, "Oh kriff." Why did she agree to stay? Every fiber in her body screamed for her to get into her shuttle and blast off planet as fast as possible. She didn't need a lovelorn Jedi pining over her and she definitely didn't want to discuss with Skywalker his ridiculous marital delusions. Gods, this was crazy.

She looked over at Luke. He was lying on his side, his eyes closed and posture relaxed. He looked peaceful while sleeping, but Mara couldn't help but notice the dark bags under his eyes and the start of fine worry lines around his eyes and mouth. It looked like he aged five years since she'd last seen him a month ago. This situation obviously had taken a toll on the Jedi. She didn't know what to say to him when he woke up, but she _did_ know it was going to be an awkward conversation.

She sat in his room quietly, anxiously waiting for him to wake up. Eventually his eyelids began to flutter. Slowly his blue eyes opened and his gaze fell across her face. At first he smiled widely then the smile faltered and he closed his eyes tightly. "I'm sorry for my behavior Mara," he said quietly.

She lowered her head, looking at the floor. "Cilghal told me what happened. She asked me to talk to you."

She looked up at him waiting for the uncomfortable conversation to begin. When he opened his eyes she could feel a wave of conflicting emotions radiating off of him—love, loss, pain and…hope.

Luke tried to sit up, but waivered and laid back down again. "The medication hasn't quite worn off yet."

Mara sighed deeply. "Skyw…Luke, what can I do to help you?" When he looked at her there was so much pain in his eyes that Mara had to look away.

Luke rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. "I don't think there is anything you can do. Cilghal is doing some research to see if anything I remember could be a Force vision. My sister is going to send probe droids to various planets to see if anything I recall is actually there."

Mara hesitated. "What if they are Force visions?"

"If we find the enemies I remember, we'll have to find a way to deal with them."

Mara rolled her eyes in frustration. "I mean about… _us_."

Luke shrugged. "I assume the will of the Force will play out."

Mara scoffed. "You mean we'll get married and have a child?"

He turned and looked at her sadly. "Is that scenario so bad?"

Mara shook her head and looked away. "It's nothing personal. I'm sure you'd make a great husband and father someday. Just not with me. Luke, you have to understand…we've never dated and we can barely tolerate each other."

"No, you barely tolerate me," Luke corrected her. "I always enjoyed your company."

Mara snorted. "Oh like the time I forced you at blaster point to trudge through the Myrkr forest."

Luke gave a small smile. "Yes."

Mara shook her head. "Then you're a glutton for punishment."

They both sat silently, not knowing what should be said about the situation. Mara fidgeted in her chair uneasily before she broke the silence. "Cilghal asked me to talk to you and I did. I really should get back to the shuttle. I have two more runs to do."

"Can I go with you?" Luke asked with a hopeful look on his face. "I need to get away from here…and I miss your company. I know you don't want to hear that, but I do. In my world I have grieved over your death for the last four years. Only our son kept me going…and now I don't have him."

Mara closed her eyes in exasperation. "This is just too strange for me. You are talking about _our_ son like he's a real person."

She wished she could take back that comment as soon as she said it. The pained expression that crossed his face was heartbreaking. "He's real to me. I have 18 years of memories with my son…I love him very much…as much as I loved you." Luke rolled over so he was not facing Mara any longer. "You're right…this situation is too difficult…for you and me. Maybe you should go."

Mara didn't move to leave. She stared at her friend lying in bed. He was the man who would do just about anything for her…she was positive he would die for her…and all he was asking was a little time together. It would be selfish of her to deny him a little bit of happiness after what he lost...or what he believed he lost. "Would Cilghal clear you to leave with me?"

Luke turned toward her and smiled. "I think she would…as long as you promise not to shoot me out the airlock if I slip up and accidently call you _'love'_."

"Ack, you would call me that?" Mara screwed up her face.

Luke chuckled. "You used to call me ' _husband mine_ '"

Mara laughed. "What? Did my brain suddenly go soft after I married you? Why did you conjure up such an insipid term of endearment?"

Luke slowly sat up. "Assuming it was all a dream, my overly active imagination conjured up a lot of interesting things that you said and did in my world, but I better not tell you lest you impale me with your lightsaber." He gave her a nostalgic smile.

Mara blushed under his gaze. "Skywalker, you better not be imagining me naked or something."

Luke chuckled and mumbled softly. "Too late."

Mara rose out of her seat flustered. "That's it. This is not going to work."

Luke stood up, still a little shaky on his feet. "Please Mara, I'll be good. Take me with you. I'm going barvy here. All I can think about is getting back to my son." Luke hesitated for a moment as he nervously chewed on his lower lip looking distressed. "But if Cilghal is right, that's never going to happen. I need something to distract me from these obsessive thoughts…and nobody could ever distract me as much as you."

Mara snickered. "Thanks," she said sardonically.

He gave her a small piteous smile. "Please Mara. I need to get away."

She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't turn down those pleading blue eyes.

"Okay, but no funny business."

Luke put his hand over his heart and bowed his head. "I promise—Jedi honor."

Mara rolled her eyes. "Get packed and meet me at the shuttle. Meanwhile I'll let Cilghal know."

.

.

Luke arrived at the shuttle with a travel bag and an eager grin on his face. He was wearing his ubiquitous black outfit, which consisted of form fitting trousers over polished black boots and a moisture wicking compression shirt. It was an outfit that did nothing to hide Luke's muscular and compact physique. Mara had to grudgingly admit, Skywalker may be irritating, but he was easy on the eyes.

"Is that all your luggage?"

"I pack light," he held up the bag as he moved toward the boarding ramp. "Which cabin should I put it in?"

Mara shook her head and gave him a cynical look. "There's only one cabin on this shuttle, I thought we would take shifts sleeping.

Luke looked bewildered. "Isn't there a top bunk on this shuttle…for pilot and co-pilot?"

"You are not sleeping in the same cabin with me Skywalker."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why not, we slept near each other on Myrkr and Wayland."

Mara's eyes narrowed. "While we were on Myrkr and Wayland you didn't believe you had sex with me on a daily basis for twenty years!" she shot back.

"Mara, what do you think I'm going to do?" he scoffed at the inference. "And anyway we didn't have sex on a daily basis…sometimes we were separated during missions." Luke grinned. "But we made up for those missed days when we got back together."

"See!" Mara threw her hands up in the air. "This is why I don't want you sleeping in the same room…you are not the same person. The Luke I knew wouldn't say something so…bold."

Luke chuckled. "I know…I act too familiar around you. I'm sorry. It's just we were so close in my other reality that we could always joke and tease each other. It is going to be difficult for me to treat you formally."

Mara rolled her eyes and then abruptly turned and walked up the boarding ramp. "Just get on board Skywalker before I change my mind and leave you on this rotting, Jedi-infested, jungle moon."

Luke hurried up the ramp and tossed his bag in the lone cabin. He then took the co-pilot seat next to Mara. "Where are we going?"

Mara gave Luke an irritated look. "We're going to Taris and then to Chandrila for a pick-up. Then I rendezvous with the _Wild Karrde_ orbiting Coruscant."

Luke buckled up his crash webbing. "That sounds like fun."

"Maybe for you. To me it sounds like I'm going to be trapped with you in a small shuttle for almost two weeks."

He gave her an unflinching look. "We haven't taken off yet. If you dread being around me, then I should go." He unbuckled his restraints and stood to leave. "The last thing I want to do is make you unhappy Mara." He looked at her sadly. "I have a feeling that happiness will elude me for quite some time, but there's no reason for you to be miserable also."

"Stang Skywalker! Sit down." She glared at him. "If you leave now…I'll just feel guilty. I swear—you are the only person in the Galaxy that can bring out that particular emotion in me."

Luke hesitated. "Don't feel guilty. You had nothing to do with my situation."

"Luke, sit down." Mara snapped at him, but then her demeanor softened. "I don't mind your company. In fact, sometimes I enjoy being around you. It's just this situation makes me uncomfortable…but avoiding you won't make it go away or make it any better. So we might as well face this problem together."

Luke slowly sat down and gave her an appreciative smile. "Thank you, Mara."

She gave him a curt nod and then started up the shuttle engines.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

The two traveled the first hour through hyperspace in relative silence. Mara did notice Luke continuously made furtive glances in her direction…it was almost as if he feared she would suddenly disappear if he looked away too long. The lack of conversation was at first peaceful and a relief to her, but now it was getting awkward.

She decided to ask him some questions about his "other" memories, but she wasn't sure which topic would upset him. She was curious as to how the other Mara died, but until they were positive his memories weren't Force visions, she preferred not knowing the details. She could ask him about his son, but talking about Ben would most likely sadden the Jedi. She finally thought of a topic that might lighten the mood.

She looked over to the blond man and gave him a teasing grin. "So Skywalker, why don't you tell me how you wined and dined your way into my heart…or the heart of the other Mara that is. When did you two start dating? Tell me about the courtship."

She thought that would get a positive response, but she was surprised when he started fidgeting.

"Ummm…well, we really didn't date before she agreed to marry me."

"What?" Mara turned to regard him skeptically. "You didn't use a Jedi Mind Trick on her, did you?"

Luke chuckled. "No, not really."

Mara frowned. "What do you mean _not really_?"

Luke turned in the co-pilot seat so he could face her directly. "In my reality I came to rescue you and while fighting attack droids we experienced an intense Force bonding. It was like we became one person. You knew all about me and I knew everything about you. After that we realized we could never be apart."

Mara snorted. "It figures that a man would imagine a reality where he doesn't have to put a microgram of effort into romancing a woman. She just has a Force epiphany and falls in love with you. Isn't that convenient?" She shook her head incredulously. "Let me guess. After dispatching the droids I immediately fell into your arms and we had hot passionate sex."

"I wish," Luke snickered. "You made me wait until we were married."

"Why in the worlds would I do that?" Mara asked, her brow creased in thought and then her eyebrows shot up. "Oh Force, in your reality I was a virgin, wasn't I?"

Luke turned red. "Maybe."

Mara couldn't help but laugh. "Wait, weren't we supposedly married when I was in my mid-thirties?! Did you think Palpatine made me so dysfunctional that I couldn't have a relationship prior to hooking up with the great Jedi Master? Oh that's rich." She gave him a sly look. "Well, at least we know that some of your memories aren't Force visions."

He shot a look over to her. "You mean…"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes Luke, I'm not a virgin."

"Oh," was all he said.

"I hope that isn't too disappointing to you?"

Luke shook his head. "No, I'm glad you had a relationship…I mean if it was a relationship and not something that…"

Her posture stiffened as a jolt of anger flowed through her. "Skywalker, I hope you weren't going to ask if I performed sexual acts as part of my job as the Emperor's Hand."

Luke looked down at the deck guiltily.

Her eyes narrowed. "Stang, Skywalker, what kind of person do you think I am?"

"I'm sorry," he muttered, visibly mortified at his inference.

She looked at him in disgust. "First of all, I was able to retain some semblance of a moral compass while working with Palpatine and second I wouldn't be a very good assassin if I allowed myself to get in such a vulnerable position. I may have used my feminine wiles to get a target alone in the room, but once that door closed—he was a dead man."

Luke gave a placating gesture. "I'm sorry Mara, you caught me off guard. I just thought…"

She silenced him with a glare. "Get those thoughts out of your head. We're talking about a real relationship, not...something else."

She blew out a cleansing breath as she tried to shrug off her mood. She shouldn't get angry at Luke. Palpatine was a monster that highly encouraged his spies to use every means at their disposal, including sex. She was able to avoid that route, but it rankled her that Luke, of all people, would suggest the possibility.

He sat in his seat, head down, pensive. After a few moments he looked over to her. "Was he somebody I knew?"

Mara rolled her eyes wondering why he couldn't quit while he was ahead. "Yes, I think you knew both men."

"Both men!" Luke sounded shocked.

"Frack Luke! I wasn't bedding them at the same time! And I'm not going to tell you their names. Both relationships are over so it doesn't matter."

"Was it Lando?"

"Lando? Why would you think it was Lando?" She said irritated. "Just forget it, I'm not going to tell you."

"Then it was Lando."

Her green eyes turned frosty with indignation. "I don't know what your fascination is with Lando, but we're not going to play twenty questions. I am a single woman. I'm not married to you so stop acting like a jealous husband." She turned back to the flight controls intending to ignore him for the remainder of the trip.

"You're right. I'm sorry," Luke apologized again.

"And before you start thinking about it, I just want to say it wasn't Corran. He's married. I may have been an assassin, but I'm no home wrecker."

"I said I'm Sorry." Luke sat quietly for a moment before he looked over to her again. "I um…I hope they were good to you."

Mara's expression softened. "They were."

"Why didn't it work out?"

Mara closed her eyes. "The first man I met while working as The Emperor's Hand. We didn't start dating until after Palpatine's death. We saw each other off and on for a year—mainly off since Ysanne Isard and Imperial Intelligence were still actively searching for me. That made it difficult to stay in one place. Anyway, I sensed he wanted more—marriage and kids—the entire relationship package. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't commit myself to someone at that time. So one night I took off. I left him a note and disappeared. I always regretted running off like that, but I knew he would try to talk me out of leaving."

Mara saw Luke flinch at her comment. It was almost as if he knew what it was like to get that type of note. Mara wondered if that's how Callista left him.

"Why couldn't you commit?," Luke asked quietly. "You could have stayed on the run together."

She turned to him and glowered. "Because I had a Sith Lord screaming in my head night and day to kill a certain Jedi. It was destroying my sanity. How could I possibly live a normal life with that going on incessantly?"

Luke blanched. "Force Mara, I didn't know. I mean, I knew about the last command, but not how it affected your personal life."

She shook her head in irritation, but then realized she was blaming the wrong person. "It wasn't your fault Luke, it was Palpatine's."

"After you broke away from the last command…why didn't you go back to him?" Luke asked softly.

Mara was shocked that Luke would even hint at the possibility. After all, he thought of her as his wife.

Mara's heart constricted. "I couldn't face him again. Luke, I walked out on him and just left a note. I don't think he could ever forgive me."

Luke gave her a small sad smile. "I think he would….I would."

She turned back to the flight readouts and fell silent. She was done talking for a while.

.

.

Dinnertime rolled around and the two sat in the galley wordlessly eating ration bars and drinking juice and caf. Right about now Mara was really regretting bringing Luke along. Ever since their last conversations there was an uneasy silence hanging over the ship.

She could sense Luke was bothered by her admission that there were once other men in her life. He would never admit it, but Luke was jealous...but she didn't think that was the only thing that bothered him. If his memories weren't Force visions then he had no assurance that anything he dreamt up in his other world would ever come to fruition in this reality. Luke obviously didn't relish the possibility of war, but he did want his wife and son back.

She knew Luke was restraining himself immensely. He wanted the closeness he had with his wife, but he knew he couldn't. He was confined in a small shuttle with an identical facsimile of his late wife, but he could only look; he couldn't touch. The turmoil it was producing within the Jedi was palpable within the Force and the tension was driving Mara crazy.

She looked up from her ration bar and caught Luke staring at her again. He quickly averted his eyes pretending he was looking at anything but her. Mara sighed knowing they were going to have to address this issue. "Luke," Mara said softly.

He looked up at her and smiled. "Yes."

"I know you want to talk about things and I think you should or else this tension between us will always exist. I'll try not to overreact to anything you say...like I did earlier."

He nodded thoughtfully. "That's the problem…I'm not sure what to say. We're acting like a couple who broke up and one wants to get back together and the other doesn't." He took another bite of his ration bar and chewed silently. "But we never were together is this reality. I have no right to think that you'll take me back and we will be in love again…because it never was…not in this dimension…maybe not in any dimension if Cilghal's correct."

Mara didn't know how to respond. He was right; he was hoping to regain something that never was. They ate silently for a while. As Mara finished her ration bar and gave him an inquisitive look. "I wanted to ask you something. Why did you marry me in your world and not Callista? If the entire 30 years were conjured up by you, you could have had anyone, why me?"

Luke shrugged. "Although I hate to admit it, I was very upset with Callista for leaving. I can understand her not wanting to be with me, but she was actively avoiding me…like I did something wrong. I think that hurt me more than anything."

"But why me?" Mara persisted.

Luke blushed and turned away shyly. "Because I've always been attracted to you."

Mara sat back surprised. "You never showed me any indication of that. Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Look shook his head sadly. "I knew you were out of my league. Why should I set myself up for failure?"

"What?" Mara was shocked. "Luke, you're the galaxy's greatest hero…if anything, nobody's in your league!"

That comment brought a smile to his face. "Thanks Mara. I guess the awkward teenage farm boy from Tatooine never really left me." He finished up the last of his dinner. "Callista was in my alternate reality though." A faint smile graced his lips.

Mara raised an eyebrow. "Oh really, in what way?"

"She showed up after you died."

She knew it was irrational, but the fact that the bodysnatcher tried to worm her way back into Luke's life after Mara's death really irritated her.

"So you found your old love." Mara said with a snarky tone.

Luke laughed. "Not exactly. She appeared to me as Callista, but in my reality a grotesque darkside creature had ate Callie's soul and was using her form to trick me. I eventually was able to free Callista from the hideous being by releasing her Force essence back to the Flow of the Force."

Mara knew she shouldn't laugh, but she did. "Stang Luke! Hell has no fury like a Jedi scorned! So you have her soul sucked out of her body by a darksider and then you do a mercy killing." She stopped laughing and gave him a sardonic look. "Are you sure that was your dream reality and not mine?"

Luke's brow creased. "Why would you say that? I didn't know there was any animosity between you two."

Mara panicked; there was no good way to explain that comment without admitting she never liked the fact that Callista dated Luke. "No, there were no problems," she gave a flustered half-truth hoping Luke would drop the subject. "I just was mad that she dumped you also."

He looked at her confused for a moment but then he leaned back in his chair with a smug look. "You were jealous."

Mara turned red—in embarrassment and anger. "Why would I be jealous of her?"

Luke looked up to the ceiling in thought. "You did come out to the Academy that one day…and I have to admit you were acting a little strange. You take me flying in your ship and told me you sometimes missed me." He looked at her intensely. "Callie told me you even sat down to talk to her at Lunch…Stang Mara, you were fishing!"

"What!? I have no idea what you mean by that!"

Luke laughed. "You know," Luke extended his hands out and wiggled his fingers. "You were putting your feelers out to see if there was trouble between me and Callista and at the same time you were hinting to me that you were interested."

Mara stood up from the table. "You're delusional."

Luke shook his head while laughing. "Come on Mara, admit it, you were interested."

She glared at him angrily. "I am not going to admit that!"

"Mara, I confessed that I was always attracted to you. Why won't you admit the same?"

She stood up and walked away. "Because it's not true, that's why. Now drop the subject or you're off this shuttle once we reach Taris!"

Luke shook his head and gave a sigh. "Fine. I'll drop it." Luke stood up and picked up the discarded ration bar wrappers off the table and threw them away. "So much for not overreacting."

 


	6. Chapter 6

A few hours later Luke prepared for sleep. He did his normal 'fresher routine and changed into shorts and shirt. When he entered the lone sleeping chamber he suddenly became very aware as to how very, very small the cabin actually was. The three by two meter room held a storage locker, bunk beds and just enough space for a person to squeeze around them.

' _Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all,_ ' Luke thought nervously _._ Hanging around a ship galley was one thing, but sleeping in the same room as the woman he loved was another. There was a certain amount of intimacy associated with bedchambers. Could he actually fall asleep while Mara slept only a few feet from him?

Mara walked up to the cabin door wearing similar sleep attire. The defiant look on her face told him she was still irritated about their earlier conversation.

"Do you want top or bottom bunk?" Luke asked.

"Top bunk," Mara said quickly as she moved up the ladder at the end of the bunks.

Luke shrugged and suppressed the urge to make a jesting comment about her always wanting to be on top. His wife would have tolerated his cheekiness, but the Mara of 14 ABY wasn't so tolerant. This was the hotheaded woman who once captured him, threatened him, and recently professed that she had absolutely no interest in him.

He smiled knowingly. _'Liar! She **was** fishing,'_ he thought as he dimmed the lights and climbed into bed.

Luke lay there for a long time unable to asleep. He could hear Mara's soft breathing in the bunk above. It was hard for him to comprehend that she was here in the same room as him, but untouchable.

He probably shouldn't have come on this trip, but he just couldn't help himself. He was miserable after being pulled from Waru. After a week of trying to wrap his mind around the situation and wallowing in self-pity—he had enough. He was at his breaking point when Mara walked through his door. It had been years since Mara paid him a surprise visit, but at the exact moment he needed her the most…she was there. It had to be the work of the Force.

He still didn't know what happened to him. While inside Waru he may have slipped into this alternate universe. He might have dreamt up the entire thirty years as Cilghal believed, or he may be in a coma back home suffering delusions. No matter the circumstance there must be a reason for what happened…but what, he didn't know.

What he did know was he wanted Mara back in his life. He came on this trip hoping he could rekindle their relationship, but he soon realized his mistake—there was nothing _to_ rekindle. If he wanted a relationship with Mara he had to start from scratch. I was just so hard for him to comprehend a world where Mara didn't love him. Unfortunately, he also couldn't fathom a world without his son…but here he was…single and without children.

Gods, he missed his son. He didn't like the idea that it was all a dream. He would rather envision his son alive and living somewhere in an alternate reality. Luke knew it would be traumatic for the boy to have his father disappear, but it would mean his son was alive and not just a figment of his imagination.

Luke heaved a heavy sigh. That would be nice if it were true, but now he doubted his own memories. Cilghal was correct; his recollections were just too outlandish to be probable. They were overgrown and distorted versions of Luke's own fears and desires. The quicker he accepted the truth, the faster he could get on with his life.

He rolled to his side and pulled the covers up over his shoulder. He wanted Mara in his arms again…he wanted it badly, but he also knew the harder he pushed the more she would resist. Mara was always hardheaded, it didn't matter what reality she existed in. He had to convince her that they were meant for each other. These next two weeks were probably his best opportunity to do so. He had two weeks…two short weeks to capture her heart.

' _Force help me!'_

Eventually, and mercifully, sleep finally found him.

.

.

Mara lay on the top bunk wanting desperately to escape into a dreamless sleep but failing miserably. She couldn't read Luke's thoughts outright, but she could tell he was on the bottom bunk awake and thinking about his situation. She knew he wanted to be with her more than anything. She really couldn't blame him. He considered her his wife…it would be natural to want to hold onto somebody you loved. She wondered how long he would feel this way: weeks, months…years?

She thought about what he said about her scouting out the situation between him and Callista. It irked her that he seemed to know her better now than ever before. He was right; she was fishing around for information.

Over the last few years she started reassessing her life and much to her chagrin she found herself thinking of the Jedi Master and occasionally…missing him. She always attempted to squash those feelings—after all, they were much too different to survive as a couple. Or that's what she always thought. Luke didn't seem to hold that belief. He was absolutely positive that a romance between them would flourish.

She wouldn't mind casually dating him…to test the waters, but she was positive Luke would see any dating as a prelude to their inevitable marriage. And when that didn't occur–he would end up heartbroken. It was safer not to get involved.

The only reason she hadn't totally dismissed the idea was the prospect of having a family did intrigue her. She was curious as to what Luke imagined a child of theirs would be like.

She was thinking about children when she drifted off to sleep.

.

.

Luke woke up early the next morning. He never lost his "farmer's chrono" and usually woke hours before the end of the normal sleep cycle.

After dressing he went to the small galley and made up a fresh batch of caf. He was sitting at the small dining table when Mara came out of the cabin, her hair disheveled and looking groggy. He had to smile; he missed seeing her this way. There was a certain look of vulnerability to a person who has just woken up. He was sure very few people ever glimpsed this side of Mara. Of course, his wife hated him seeing her in this condition, and it appeared the Mara of this reality also felt the same way. She didn't even bother speaking to him as she moved towards the 'fresher.

When she did exit Mara was a different looking woman. She was alert, her hair in place and eyes bright. She gave him a small smile as she moved toward the caf dispenser. "Thanks, for making some."

Luke returned the smile. "No problem." He was thankful that she woke up in a better mood than when she went to bed. He admonished himself for irritating her the night before…even if he was correct.

She grabbed a cup and sat down next to him at the table. He could tell she wanted to ask him something, but was hesitating.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" he asked cautiously.

He was expecting her to scold him for 'getting into her head', but she didn't. She set her cup down and gazed at him curiously. "Can you tell me about our son?"

Luke was a bit taken aback. Not only because she asked about Ben, but she referred to him as their son…not 'his' son. Luke smiled with surprised pleasure. "Sure, he was born 26 years after the Battle of Yavin during a major war involving invaders from outside our galaxy called the Yuuzhan Vong. You were very sick during the pregnancy. We didn't know until later, but a biological weapon constructed by the enemy infected you. I think our son was the reason you lived. He is strong in the Force and I believe that, along with your intense love for our baby, kept you alive.

'We named him Ben after my first Master, Ben Kenobi. He has your fiery red hair and my blue eyes. I think he looks more like you, but you always said he took after me. He has your personality, though. He is strong-willed."

She smiled wryly. "Is that a nice way to say stubborn and hardheaded?"

He gave her a teasing grin. "Perhaps." He took another sip of his caf. "We had some problems with him in his early teens. He thought he knew better than his parents, but I guess that is the same for all teenagers." The smile dropped from his face and Luke became more somber. "After you died, Ben became my rock. He traveled with me when I was in exile…"

"What? Who exiled you?"

Luke shrugged looking mildly embarrassed. "I was banished by the leader of the Galactic Alliance, Admiral Daala."

Mara started to laugh. "What?" She shook her head. "Luke do you realize how insane that sounds?"

Luke gave her a strained smile. "I know," Luke put his cup down and gestured in a sad way. "And that's why I think Cilghal is correct in thinking my memories were all a dream."

Mara took on a troubled look. She leaned forward and put her hand over his. "I'm sorry. I forgot that if you dreamed up Daala being leader of the Alliance…that means your son was also a dream."

Luke nodded sadly.

Mara took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then looked into Luke's sad blue eyes. "Luke, I'm sure you will have a son in this world one day."

"A son…but not Ben." Luke looked at her hand lying on top of his. He rotated his palm up so he could clasp hers. "Mara, for me to have any possibility of getting Ben back into my life…I would need you in my life."

To his surprise she didn't pull her hand away. Her gaze dropped to the table. "Luke, in your reality we didn't marry for another five years."

He waited for her to continue. When she didn't he understood her meaning. He shouldn't rush things. He released her hand and took another drink of his caf and then grinned. "I guess I should be happy that you haven't come out and completely disavowed any possibility of ' _us_ ' happening."

She gave him a faint smile. "I found out that when it comes to you, Skywalker, anything is possible."

.

.

Luke heated up some prepackaged breakfast meals and put out two plates of the most unappetizing food he's ever seen on the table. He took a bite and grimaced at the bland taste. "This is worse than the stuff Yoda would feed me."

Mara finished chewing on the rehydrated eggs and motioned to Luke with her fork. "I assume your Mara was a culinary genius."

Luke snorted. "No, I guess my imagination wasn't good enough to envision you cooking."

Mara convulsed with laughter, which morphed into a coughing fit as a bit of her breakfast went down the wrong way. She finally regained control of her breathing and gave Luke a teasing grin. "You've gained a sense of humor while in Waru, I see." She looked at him appraisingly. "I like it. You're not the stiff Jedi Master I remember."

Luke's lips were trembling as he tried to stifle a laugh. "My Mara used to love it when I was a stiff Jedi Master."

Mara's jaw dropped in shock. "Was that a double entendre?"

Luke gave Mara a look of mock horror. "Of course not, she just liked me as the Master…Jedi Master."

Mara scoffed and shook her head in disgust.

He struggled to maintain a straight face. "Sorry Mara. I keep slipping back to husband Luke mode around you. I'm not trying to make you mad. Mara and I had a Force bond. She always knew when I was joking."

Mara gave him an annoyed look, but he could feel through the Force that she was slightly amused. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave him a sardonic grin. "I thought you told me you were going to be good? You said Jedi honor."

"I will Mara." He placed his hand over his chest. "From here forward."

Mara huffed and continued eating. After a few moments she looked back up at him.

"So your Mara didn't cook, but I assume she was a Jedi," she said it more as a statement than a question.

"Yes, after we married she became a Jedi, but I didn't push her to do so. It was something she wanted."

"Did she ever take on an apprentice?" Mara asked Luke as picked up her juice glass.

"Yes, you were Jaina's Master," he said softly.

Mara sipped on the juice and nodded. "That sounds like a good match." She put down her glass and smiled at Luke. "What happened to her in your reality? Did she become a good Jedi? Did she ever marry and have kids?"

"You trained her very well. She is probably one of the best Jedi warriors in the order," he said proudly. "In fact she is known as _The Sword of the Jedi_."

"How did she get that title?"

"I bestowed it upon her during her knighting ceremony." Luke hesitated as his eyes drifted off to a far wall. "The words I uttered that day were not rehearsed. They seemed to flow through the Force. During the years that followed she has proven her mettle against overwhelming odds." He turned to Mara and smiled. "She was taught by the very best, and it shows."

Mara looked away. "I'm sure you had a lot to do with her training."

"When she was young, yes. She and her brothers trained as younglings at the Jedi Praxeum." Luke leaned back in his seat and stretched his legs. "As for her being married. She was engaged before I was pulled back to this world. You wouldn't know her fiancé. His name is Jagged Fel. He's a pilot… _and_ an Imperial."

Mara gave a surprised look. "And Han didn't kill him?"

"Not yet. The Imperial Remnant and the Galactic Alliance have had a shaky truce going on for the almost two decades. They helped us in our fight against the Vong and then later other enemies." Luke smirked. "For Han, I think Jag the Imperial Officer was the least objectionable choice out of Jaina's many suitors."

Mara leaned back in her chair. "Oh really, go on."

Luke grinned. "The first man to come sniffing around was Kyp."

"What! Kyp is around sixteen years older than her. I'm surprised Han didn't shoot him on sight!" Mara thought about it for a second. "How come _I_ didn't shoot him on sight? I was Jaina's Master! That cradle robber would have received a lightsaber castration if I saw him near her."

Luke laughed. "Ouch…Mara are you still mad at Kyp for stealing your headhunter?"

She rolled her eyes. "That and stealing the Sun Crusher and blowing up a solar system." She shook her head. "I can't believe the Solos didn't squash that romance."

"They were extremely covert about their courtship," Luke said. "In fact I was never sure about the extent of the relationship. Han likes Kyp, so he might have come around to the idea of having Kyp as a son-in-law. The relationship that absolutely made Han cringe was Zekk and Jaina."

Mara shook her head. "I don't think I know him."

"You never met him. He would come to Jaina's life about four years from now."

"What was wrong with him?"

Luke shook his head in amusement. "Nothing now. He's a good Jedi, but Han just about had an conniption after Jaina and Zekk traveled out to the unknown regions to help negotiate a border dispute. They got involved with a sentient insect race called the Killiks. When exposed to high amounts of Killik pheromones they became part of the hive mind and turned into what we called Joiners…or as Han would call them…bughuggers."

Mara stared at Luke incredulously. "Jaina became a bughugger," she said slowly. "What exactly does that entail, or do I want to know?"

"From what they told me, they were able to join their minds together. I think it was similar to the Force bonding that I had with my Mara…except in Jaina's case it was a mind bonding between her and Zekk and a whole lot of what Han called… creepy bugs."

Mara put her head to her palm and tried not to laugh. "Please tell me this ended well and not with Jaina in a cocoon or almost fried in a bugzapper."

Luke bit down on his lower lip trying not to laugh over what was a very trying time for the Solo family. "It wasn't that bad. Han did tell me that one day he saw Zekk and Jaina rubbing their elbows and making insect clicking sounds in their throat." Luke put his bent arms out in front of him and made a rubbing gesture while trying to imitate the annoying sound the two Jedi made during their Joiner days.

Mara burst out laughing.

"Anyway, Han was upset when Jaina told him about her and Zekk attending the Killik Dance of Union. This involved the two accompanying the Killiks to the _Harem Cave_ and participating in what was called the _Dawn Rumble_ …which was a mating ritual."

Mara's eyes went wide. "She didn't do it with… she was with Zekk only, right?"

Luke shrugged his shoulders. The two claimed they were imbibing in a highly intoxicating alcoholic drink called membrosia, so they don't remember everything that happened. Han did say that if in nine months Jaina gave birth to a bouncing baby grub he was going to shoot Zekk and then carpet bomb the planet with insecticide." Luke managed to get his story out before cracking up.

Mara fell back into her seat laughing so hard she was in tears. "Luke, if this only happened in your imagination, then you should be a writer. Force! Let's hope elbows are the only things they rubbed together in the Harem Cave."

"I'm not sure what happened that night, but no baby grub was forthcoming. Cilghal and other scientists found a way to deprogram the Joiners. We got Jaina back and she immediately ran back to the arms of Jag, much to Zekk's dismay."

"Harem Cave," she chuckled under her breath. "Poor Jaina. Why couldn't you think up something nice for her. Like having her trapped in a Hapen male stripper harem grotto?"

Luke gave her a small smile. "Well, if Cilghal is right what I experienced in Waru was my greatest desires and my worst fears. I obviously didn't desire Jaina to be surrounded by handsome, scantily clad men."

"But you did fear she would be involved in a bug orgy?" Mara scoffed.

Luke shrugged his shoulders. "I guess."

Mara chuckled. "I'm glad my apprentice did well. How about you? Did you take an apprentice? Were you Ben's Master?"

Luke's jovial mood faltered. "Not at first. Ben's first Master died, so I took over. He's a fine Jedi. He's a young man I am proud to call my son."

Luke could see in Mara's eyes that she sensed the change in his demeanor and she mercifully dropped the subject.

She stood up and cleared the table while giving him a warm sympathetic smile. "I'm sure I would have been proud to call him my son also."


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

They arrived on planet Taris the next day. Mara had to make a expensive purchase so she went to the only vender she truly trusted—Roberto Xaxo. She began a business relationship with the Corellian-born trader years ago when she first began working with Karrde. He sold high-end items: precious metals, jewelry, designer clothing, wine, ale and sometimes spice. She enjoyed working with him and it didn't hurt that he had a body that would put a mythological Corellian god to shame. He had broad shoulders with a muscular build, a head full of wavy brown hair and a face that could grace the cover of a fashion holozine. Women everywhere flocked to him to trade and he would dote over every lady ensuring they all felt special. Mara of course knew the truth…Roberto was more interested in the delivery men bringing him packages, then the ladies in his store.

Luke insisted on accompanying her to the shop under the pretense that the planet's crime rate had tripled over the years. Mara would have bristled at the suggestion if she thought for one nanosecond that that was the real reason; she knew Skywalker just wanted to be around her.

"Stay here, I negotiate best without a partner," Mara said as they entered the store. Luke nodded and stood near the entrance of the shop.

Mara sauntered up to the counter and gave Roberto her best flirtatious smile. "Hey Roberto, I have a client looking to purchase some Tarisian Ale."

The man gave Mara a broad genuine smile. "Mara, it is so nice to see you again." His eyes then narrowed suspiciously "Who told you Tarisian Ale is once more available? It hasn't been produced since the Sith occupied the planet almost four thousand years ago and the knowledge as to how to make it was destroyed during the Jedi Civil War."

Mara gazed at him shrewdly. "I heard rumors that somebody on planet discovered the secret and is producing it. And if that were true, then you would be the man to sell it. So how much?"

Roberto leaned over the service table and whispered. "Eight hundred credits per bottle."

Mara's eyes went wide and her smile faltered. She heard the product was good, but not that good. She glared at the trader. "I think you are trying to make a little more profit than usual, I was told it was being sold for six hundred a bottle. Can you supply it at that rate, or do I have to go elsewhere?"

Roberto gave her a fake look of pain. "Six hundred, oh Mara, that will cut into my profit margin tremendously." He reached out and took her hand holding it between his. "But for you, I will get it for six hundred-fifty." He kissed her hand and smiled sensually.

Mara could feel a spike of irritation from Luke at the back of the store and she quickly pulled her hand away. She looked over her shoulder and saw the Jedi glaring at Roberto.

The proprietor followed Mara's gaze. "Is that Luke Skywalker?" He gave Mara an appraising look. "My, my, your taste in coworkers has improved. He is much better looking than your usual pilot, Chin. Luke Skywalker." Roberto let the name roll over his tongue. "I always wanted to meet the man."

Mara smirked. "If you kiss my hand again you might meet the business end of his lightsaber."

Roberto's eyebrows shot up. "Really, are you two an item?"

Mara shook her head. "It's complicated."

Roberto grabbed up Mara's hand and grinned wickedly. "I would love to see Master's Skywalker's lightsaber." He then dropped another kiss to the back of her hand. As expected Luke started moving up to the store counter. Roberto made a furtive glance up. "I love how his saber swings when he walks."

Mara couldn't help but start laughing. "You're bad."

"Is everything alright?" Luke asked as he got up to Mara.

Roberto released her hand and gave Luke his best disarming smile. "Of course, we were just working out a fair price for the desired product." The proprietor reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. "Mara wants to pay six hundred credits and I say six-fifty per bottle of ale. I'll tell you what. I'll flip you for it." He held up the coin. "There is an NR insignia on one side and the face of the Taris President on the other. Heads I get paid six hundred fifty, insignia…you will get it for six hundred." He looked at Luke. "Does that sound fair Master Skywalker?"

Luke looked at Mara and then to the man and nodded.

"Okay, back away and I will flip the coin. No using the Force now." Roberto cautioned Luke. He then flipped the coin high and behind Luke. Roberto stretched over the counter. "I can't seem to see it. Would you mind picking it up, Master Skywalker."

Luke walked over to the coin and bent over to pick it up. Mara looked over to Roberto who was grinning ear-to-ear as he stared at Luke's backside. Mara gave an amused smirk. She had to admit Skywalker did fill out those black pants nicely. Luke picked up the coin and turned around. "It was heads." He looked at Mara apologetically. "Sorry Mara, it looks like we'll have to pay the higher price."

"We can go two out of three," Roberto suggested.

Mara smacked him across the shoulder. "No, that won't be necessary, we'll take a case. Have it delivered to my shuttle." She handed him the docking information for delivery and paid for the ale. She looked over at Luke who was still eyeing Roberto suspiciously. "Luke, I'll be back. I have to use the 'fresher."

Luke nodded as she left him standing at the counter.

"Master Skywalker," Roberto whispered surreptitiously. "If you would like to buy something for a special woman might I suggest this." He took out a small felt lined drawer packed with jewelry.

There was one gem-encrusted pendent that he singled out and held up for Luke's inspection. "Mara always asks to see this, but she refuses to buy it for herself. She's much too practical of a woman."

Luke examined it. "It looks a little like the Imperial Symbol."

Roberto shook his head. "It is a symbol of unity used by the order of the Dai Bendu monks. The spokes in the emblem represent the unification of the galaxy through the Force. This is a very old and expensive piece, but for you I have a special deal."

.

.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Luke asked to go to the grocery store to purchase supplies. He said he was getting tired of ration bars. When they returned to the shuttle Mara did a quick inventory of the delivered shipment. Once she was satisfied everything was accurate they prepped for flight and took off for the planet Chandrila.

As soon as it was safe to move around the shuttle, Luke excused himself saying he was going to make dinner. Mara was sitting in the pilot's seat staring at the hyperspace lines when she smelled something good cooking. She exited the cockpit and went to the kitchen to find Luke finishing up some pasta with red Marixara sauce.

Mara smiled. Skywalker was pulling out all the stops to impress her…and it was working. "That smells wonderful."

Luke grinned happily. "I thought this would make a good alternative to ration bars." He motioned to a seat. "Would you care to join me?"

"Thank you," Mara said as she sat down.

Luke went over to the galley's cooling unit and pulled out a bottle of red wine. "This is a wine from New Alderaan called Rosa Royal." He turned the bottle so he could read the back label. "It is a fragrant sweet red wine created by distilling natural essences of various flower blossoms and intermixing with the subtle lush flavor of ripe razzelberries."

Mara laughed. "That sounds perfect."

Luke opened the bottle and poured two glasses. He then sat down and held up his glass for a toast. "To friendship."

Mara touched her glass to his and then tasted the wine. "Wow, that is strong…but delicious."

"Good," Luke remarked as he dug into his food.

By the end of the meal the food and wine were gone and the two were feeling relaxed.

"That was fantastic Skywalker," Mara remarked. "I didn't know you could cook."

Luke shrugged shyly. "My Aunt Beru taught me to cook, I just never…" he trailed off.

Mara raised her eyebrows. "Never what?"

Luke looked away embarrassed. "It's nothing."

"No really," Mara insisted. "What were you going to say?"

Luke sighed. "I never cooked to impress a woman before." Luke admitted. "You're right Mara. In my other reality I never had to make an effort to court a woman. I either found her tied to a tree, trapped in a computer, or, in your case, after fighting sentinel droids the Force practically shoved you into my arms."

She cocked an eyebrow his way. "Are you saying you decided to actually put some effort into any future romances?"

Luke blushed. "Yes, and starting now. I'd like to court you, if you'd let me."

Mara sat back in shock. She had ambivalent feelings concerning the situation. Luke was a man on the rebound. He was trying to get his wife back…and she wasn't that person. She wasn't the woman he married.

"Luke," Mara ventured carefully. "I can't be the same woman you imagined yourself married to for all those years. I think you are going to be very disappointed if we did become a couple."

Luke shook his head adamantly. "No, Mara I don't think so. I know this can work. You're not much different from the Mara of my memories. Why do you think it took me another five years and a Force intervention to get you to marry me in my other reality? Because in my dream you were the same stubborn and willful woman as you are now."

"Oh, thanks…I guess." Mara said dryly.

Luke reached over and grasped her hands in his. "Mara I'm not asking anything from you other than you don't reject me outright. Let me try to win your heart. If I can't, then I'll accept that."

She looked at him guardedly. "What if you don't succeed?"

Luke's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "I guess I will become a celibate Jedi monk doomed to roam the galaxy in everlasting sexual frustration."

Mara guffawed. "More likely you will become a player and have a long string of relationships with blond-haired Skywalker groupies."

Luke frowned and shook his head. "No, that's not true. They would be redheaded Skywalker groupies."

Mara grinned. "You're different, Skywalker. Marriage was good for you."

"I hope it'll be good for me a second time around." When he saw Mara frown he added, "but I'm getting ahead of myself."

She gave him an appraising gaze. "Okay, you have my permission to court me."

Luke smiled broadly. "Really? Should we set up any guidelines or rules so I can ensure my survival during this perilous mission?"

She rolled her eyes. "Rest assured, I'll let you know if you cross any lines." Mara got up to clear the table. She wobbled when she stood and put her hand down on the table to steady herself. "That wine was strong."

Luke gave her an affectionate smile. "Sit down and let me clean up."

"You _are_ serious about winning my heart," she laughed with conspiratorial delight.

His face transformed into an expression of resolve. "I couldn't be more serious. I have everything to gain and nothing to lose."


	8. Chapter 8

After dinner Mara went to do her flight checks before going to sleep. She was feeling a little tipsy from the wine, and that was probably a good thing. It would definitely help her sleep…and she needed all the help she could get. Luke Skywalker's announcement that he wanted to officially court her was a shocked to her system. If she were sober it probably would keep her up all night thinking about the possibilities.

She knew she should be flattered, but the circumstances involved were disturbing. Luke had two decades of memories of her loving him as his wife. What would happen if they dated and things were not as copacetic as in his alternate reality? What if they didn't get along? What if the relationship ended badly? How would it affect the Jedi?

She shook her head in frustration. Everything would have been a lot less complicated if he had the guts to ask her out after Wayland, before Waru…before Callista…before her overwhelming disappointment over how things played out on Yavin IV. She gave a mental sigh; mulling over the past was a useless endeavor.

She finished her checks she moved out of the cockpit. A slight smile touched her lips as she tried to visualize the shy farm boy from Tatooine trying to court her. Despite the emotional risks, the thought of him waiting on her and hand and foot in an effort to curry her affection was not without its appeal. Luke was a handsome man with a warm personality. Most women would swoon over the thought of being with him. Mara was not the swooning type, but she was curious as to what a relationship with Skywalker would be like.

She moved down the narrow hallway to the rear of the shuttle where the 'fresher and cabin were located. Luke should be done using the facilities and be asleep by now. She found the 'fresher unoccupied. She stripped out of her flight suit and used the sonic shower and quickly finished up her nightly routine, then made her way back to the lone cabin.

When she opened the door the light from the hallway fell on Luke's face. He was in a deep slumber. She stood there for a moment transfixed by his image. He looked very much like he did on Myrkr so many years ago… asleep and vulnerable. He never had a problem letting his guard down around her. Even when she told him she wanted him dead in the Myrkr forest, he was able to fall asleep as she had a blaster trained at his heart. At that time she thought he was using some Jedi calming technique, but as the years passed she realized he never really considered her a threat…and not because he thought he could counter any attack she could throw at him. He didn't fear her because, according to him, he felt the good in her through the Force.

A slightly deprecating smile crept across her face as she thought about the Force. Luke trusted the Force implicitly. In her opinion, he trusted the Force a little too much. Not every gut feeling was a sign from the Force. Luke thought it was their destiny to be together. She was never one to believe in fate or that the Force guided her actions. If she became romantically involved with Skywalker it would because she decided to, not because an all-encompassing energy field decided to play matchmaker. The Force couldn't influence her in this matter. She snorted mentally. ' _Go ahead and do your worst,'_ she gave a silent challenge to the living Force as she closed the door and climbed up to the top bunk to settle down to sleep.

.

.

Sometime during the night Mara found herself dreaming. It was a lucid dream. An instant when the conscious and subconscious merge and you are cognizant that you are dreaming. It was a pleasant dream where she felt totally relaxed, at peace, protected and loved.

In this dream strong but gentle arms were embracing her. Her first instinct was to struggle and throw off the unknown aggressor, but something made her pause. These were not the arms of an attacker, but a lover. Warm calloused hands roamed under her shirt and then one hand teased down her thigh. She could feel the warm breathe of her unseen lover on the back of her neck and a soft caressing masculine voice murmuring her name. "Mara."

The sound of the voice pulled her farther out of her dream state until she realized what was happening was real. She quickly threw an elbow to the person lying behind her as she propelled herself out of bed. She expected a long fall from the top bunk, but was surprised when she only dropped a half-meter onto the floor. There was a groaning from the bunk she just exited. She quickly stood and slapped on the light panel. She spotted Luke on the bottom bunk looking puzzled and clutching his side where her elbow impacted his ribs.

"Force Mara. What the hell was that for?"

Her jaw dropped at his audacity. He was molesting her in her sleep and he wanted to know why she hit him?

"Why?! Because your hands were all over me! I said you could court me, not grope me!" She pointed to the door. "Get out! I don't care where you sleep, but you are not sleeping in the same cabin with me. You can't be trusted!"

To her surprise he gave her a stubborn look. "No, you get out!"

"What!" She was shocked at his brazenness.

"I didn't crawl into your bed, you crawled into mine. I was asleep until you practically broke my ribs. If I was doing something it was because you initiated it." He gave her a wink. "You obviously can't be trusted to not handle the Skywalker goods while I sleep." There was a hint of mirth in his voice.

Her face turned to a scowl. "You _are_ insane."

"Look where you were, Mara. You were in my bed. Do you think I levitated you down to my bunk?"

She shook her head trying to recall what happened. She remembered getting up in the middle of the night to use the 'fresher and then going back to bed. She went up to the top bunk, didn't she?

"Dammit Skywalker, I'm use to being on the bottom bunk. I must have climbed in after using the 'fresher."

"You can sleep in the bottom bunk if you want." Luke offered. "I'll sleep on top."

"No, I want you out." She insisted, highly embarrassed that she allowed herself to be put into this situation.

Luke just smiled at her. "No, you're the one at fault. Why should I suffer?"

She turned to leave. She was too mortified by her actions to stay in the same room. "I'll sleep in the captain's chair."

"Wait Mara," Luke jumped out of his bunk and stood before her somewhat awkwardly. "I'm sorry if I touched you inappropriately in anyway. I truly was asleep and I just thought I was having the most incredible dream. My wife was back in my arms. Something I craved for such a long time." He looked down at the ground. "I hope this won't change things between us. I was reacting to something that I had become accustomed to for two decades…having the love of my life in my embrace." He looked into her green eyes and gave her a pleading look. "Please forgive me."

Mara grimaced. She really, really wanted to be angry at Skywalker, but she couldn't figure a way to pin the blame on him. "Shavit!" She muttered softly as she shook her head in frustration. "Fine, it's okay. There's nothing to forgive. Let's just forget about it." She turned to leave the cabin.

"I'll sleep in the pilot's seat if you still don't want to be in the cabin with me," Luke offered.

Mara shook her head. "I'm just going to get some water. I don't think I can get back to sleep right now." She walked down to the ship's small galley noticing that Skywalker was following her. She gave him a questioning look.

"I don't think I can get back to sleep either."

She shrugged and pulled out a water bottle from the cooling unit. "Want one?" she asked holding the bottle out to Luke.

He gave her a small smile as he accepted the drink. "Thanks."

They both sat down at the galley table as an embarrassed silence hung between the two.

She closed her eyes in thought. A few hours ago she was practically dared the Force to try to influence her choice of mate and then she ended up in Luke's bed. Was this a sign?

She looked up at the Jedi. "Do you think what happened tonight has something to do with the Force? Could it be trying to pull us together?" Mara asked tentatively as she took another sip of her water.

"I don't know." He chuckled softly. "I was sort of hoping it had more to do with me."

Mara almost choked on her drink. "Stang, Skywalker! Are you implying that I crawled into bed with you because I was subconsciously attracted to your charming personality and good looks."

Luke's eyes twinkled. "So you admit I'm charming and good looking."

She scoffed. "Waru did something to you. You're not the same Luke Skywalker I knew."

Luke's face turned serious. "You're right. No matter what actually happened I have the memories of a lifetime of experiences. I can look back at my life," he paused for a moment. "Or my _imagined life_ , and reassess my actions. I did a lot of things wrong. There were so many decisions that I wished I could change." He stopped and his gaze drifted as in deep thought. "Maybe it wasn't Waru, but the Force that gave me these memories. Was it a way to give me the wisdom only gained through experience so I could become a better Jedi Master? Or a better father…a better husband."

Mara shrugged noncommittally. "That would be a better explanation then the Force just likes to screw with your mind."

Luke guffawed. "I sometimes wonder."

They sat silently for a few minutes quietly sipping their drinks. Finally Mara stood up from the table. "Let's go back and get some sleep. Don't worry about what happened earlier. It was my fault. It won't change things between us."

Luke nodded and followed her back to the sleeping compartment.

She turned off the light and climbed back up to the top bunk. She heard Luke crawl into his bed then shifted about for a while, obviously trying to get back to sleep.

She closed her eyes trying to do the same, but found sleep elusive. She was troubled. She told Skywalker things wouldn't change between them, but she knew that was a complete lie. The sound of his voice…that sensual moan of her name did change things, because to her great astonishment she realized she was extremely aroused by what happened and more than a little curious as to what would have occurred if she hadn't woke up when she did.


	9. Chapter 9

The next day proved to be extremely uncomfortable for the trader. Mara not only felt humiliated over her actions the night before, but she was also troubled at how her mind and body responded to Luke's embrace. She was not a virgin, but something different happened last night and she was unable to suppress the inexplicable feeling that some outside influence was at work. It had to be the Force that created those strange feelings that coursed through her body the night before. It felt like a wave of intense bliss had moved through her very soul leaving her warm and content and wanting so much more.

Whatever it was it was frightening in its power. Luke had mentioned he was bonded with his wife through the Force, could that be what she felt, the beginning of such a bond? She shook her head irritably and her cheeks flushed red. Right about now the Force was really infuriating her. First it guides her into Skywalker's bed and then it tempts her with the possibility of some extremely intimate, hypersexual Force bond.

_Damn the Force._

Everything was going a little too fast for her, although she was sure Luke would totally disagree. She was positive if he had his way they would have been in the mists of a torrid affair before they even broke through the atmosphere of Yavin IV and she would be pregnant by now.

What in the worlds possessed her to give him permission to court her? What if they did become a couple? That was going to throw a hydrospanner into the life she so carefully built over the years. She was sure he would pressure her to becoming a Jedi and assume she would settle down on that fetid jungle moon he calls home.

She wanted time to think and she needed to put some distance between her and Luke before he accidentally bumped into her and the Force suddenly decided to hook them up like a pair of power couplings. She opted to keep herself busy most of the morning going over accounting figures—it was busy work but it gave her an excuse to not engage in conversation with the Jedi.

Unfortunately, Luke didn't want to play her game of ' _I'll hide and you don't seek_.' He followed her around the small shuttle during the day watching her work. He watched her do bookkeeping; he watched her do navigation checks. She was surprised that he didn't try to follow her into the 'fresher. She glanced up from her datapad documents to see Luke sitting at the galley area sipping hot chocolate. When their eyes met he gave her a warm smile.

"Why are you doing that?" she asked bluntly.

"Doing what?"

"Staring at me all the time."

His smile dimmed, but didn't fade completely. "Mara, for months after my wife's death I'd come home to our apartment and I'd expect you to greet me or I'd pull out my comlink to call you…and then I'd remember you're not there. You'd never be there again. But fate has given me a second chance. You're here now and I'm going to savor every minute."

The way he was looking at her made her suddenly look down self-consciously. She leaned forward concentrating on her datapad and tried to ignore him.

"Mara, I know you are burying yourself in administrative work to avoid me. Let's talk about it," he said softly.

She gave him a hard look. "Stay out of my head Skywalker."

"I'm not in your head. It is obvious that you are embarrassed over what happened and you want to put some distance between us. Which I don't think is fair because I finally got permission to court you and now I'm getting the silent treatment for something I didn't do."

"Sometimes life's not fair," she responded coolly.

He gave her a forlorn little nod. "Tell me about it," Luke said glumly. "It's like me trying to adapt to a world turned completely upside down."

The despondency in his voice made her realize she _was_ punishing him unfairly. She put down her datapad and gave him an exhausted bleak look. She was tired of constantly shielding her emotions and thoughts from him.

She gave a heavy sigh and then looked him straight in the eye. "Fine, I'll admit it. I'm embarrassed. What I did last night was humiliating, but I'll get over it. Just give me some time." There was a frustrated edge in her voice.

He looked at her pensively. "Mara, time is not something I have an abundance of. I have a little over a week until you rendezvous with the _Wild Karrde_. I am fairly certain once we're no longer trapped together in a shuttle you will find some reason to avoid me." He made a gesture of resignation. "And then you will be gone from my life."

He body angled into a posture of tension. "And how are you so sure of that?"

Luke's face grew tight. "Because that is what you've _always_ done." The words came out a trifle harsh and he looked down at his cup apologetically.

She shook her head. "No, that's what _your_ Mara has always done. Not me. I'm not her."

He regarded her tersely. "Did you quit the Academy in this reality?"

"Yes, yes I did," she responded through gritted teeth.

His fists clenched in frustration. "I supposed your excuse to leave was my handling of the Exar Kun fiasco. But we all know that's not true. It had everything to do about commitment…commitment to the Jedi, to your training."

Her eyes went frosty. "I went to the Academy ready to commit to something, but I soon realized my mistake. Exar Kun was only a small part of the reason I left."

"Then what _was_ the reason?"

She stiffened and glared at him silently for a long moment, but then she leaned back into her chair and regarded him skeptically. "You don't know?" she whispered with an air of absolute disbelief. "You mean to tell me you had a mental and Force bond with your other Mara and you really don't know the genuine reason why she left Yavin IV?"

He shrugged. "She told me she was angry over me trying to do everything myself. I was drawing on the Force so much I couldn't hear its guidance. She lectured me about dabbling with the darkside at Byss. Is that it?"

She frowned. "I admit those things factored into my decision, but, no, that wasn't the main reason. Even after Exar Kun, Kyp and all the other bantha crap that happened, I probably would have stayed if it wasn't for your attitude towards me."

Luke's brow furrowed confused. "I never treated you badly, Mara."

She shook her head incredulously. "I see thirty years of experience still hasn't helped you figure out women." She let out a soft derisive laugh.

"What are you talking about?" he asked baffled.

She scrutinized his face as she tried to decide whether she should end this conversation now or drive on with the discomforting truth. When she made up her mind, her words came out low and somewhat stilted. "Luke we fought together, saved each other's lives, and later you gave me your first lightsaber…it was your father's lightsaber. It was a family heirloom. You don't just give someone something that sentimental without it having some hidden meaning."

Luke stared at her blankly. "You saved my life. You deserved to have a lightsaber. I thought it would encourage you to continue training as a Jedi."

Mara threw her hands up in the air. "How can someone be so dense?! Luke, that may be the way a man thinks, but not women. To me it had a whole different connotation."

She paused hoping Luke's somewhat naïve and befuddled male brain could put the pieces together so she wouldn't have to say the truth out loud, but she had no such luck. As Luke's brilliant blue eyes took on a glassy bewildered look, Mara realized he truly had no clue as to what she was getting at. She sighed inwardly and steeled herself to continue. Hell, she came this far, she might as well kriff up things righteously.

"I thought you gave it to me because you wanted a relationship, you di'kut!" She dragged her hands over her face and shook her head. She looked back to Luke and stabbed a finger in his direction accusingly. "When you asked me to come to the Jedi Praxeum I thought it was because you wanted to be near me. But when I get there you treat me like any other student. No, I take that back. You paid much more attention to your other students… like Kyp and you practically ignored me. I left because I wasn't going to endure the cold shoulder for years." She covered her eyes with a hand, not wanting to see Luke's reaction. "I stupidly over-analyzed your gift and felt like a total moron for allowing myself to think I was anything to you other than a potential Jedi. You were obviously not interested, so I left and moved on…and then you moved on with Callista," Mara's voice was tinged with embarrassment and anguish.

She heard a sudden startled intake of breath from the Jedi. She looked up in time to see Luke slowly placed his cup of hot chocolate on the table his hand trembling slightly. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes unblinking. "You were interested in a relationship with me after Wayland?" The absolute sound of disbelief that rang through his voice would have been comical if the tension between them wasn't so palpable.

Mara closed her eyes as she composed her thoughts. When she opened her deep green eyes she stared intensely at the Jedi, pinning him to his chair. "Yes," the word came out almost as a hiss. She suddenly stood up and started pacing back and forth in the small room. "And if you showed me one tiny bit of interest," she held her thumb and finger about a centimeter apart for emphasis. "Then things might have turned out very different. Why'd you think I was so shocked when you told me you were always attracted to me? I still don't understand why you didn't say something?"

Luke's face blanched and there was a stammer in his voice. "I explained my actions … I didn't think somebody as beautiful as you would be interested in me."

Mara came to a quick stop, rocking back on a heel. "Oh that's right, how could I possibly be interested in the attractive man who saved my life, who fought Sith Lords and dark Jedi, who blew up the Death Star and is the galaxy's greatest living hero. You're right…I should hold out for someone better."

He lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Mara. I guess I got so overwhelmed with everything…with the responsibility of rebuilding the Jedi order…I couldn't see anything but that."

She looked away. "It doesn't matter anymore. It's all behind us." She moved back to her seat and resumed reading her datapad.

Luke rose uneasily. "It does matter. I don't want to make the same laserbrain mistakes the second time around."

Mara gestured in a sad way. "It's in the past," she said quietly attempting to end the conversation.

Luke walked over to her and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened at the contact briefly, but then relaxed. "Do you still feel the same way?" Luke asked softly. "Are you still interested in a relationship?"

She shrugged. "I don't know." She turned to look at him directly. She tried to keep her voice impassive, but she knew her eyes would betray her emotional state. "I essentially gave up on the thought after rescuing you from the _Eye of Palpatine_. To see you holding Cray's body in your arms, kissing her, laughing together, clinging to each other…it was just too much." She dragged in a deep breath and let it out. "When Callista left you, I was hoping you'd stop by to talk to me, but instead you spent almost a standard year flying around the galaxy trying to find your _soulmate_." The last word came out strained and bitter.

Luke sighed as his hand slowly slid off her shoulder. "You're right…but, like you said, that's all behind us. Mara, give me a chance. I'll make things right."

She turned away from him. "I already told you I was going to give you a chance," Mara said flatly. "Court away."

Luke nodded slowly. "Things are going to be different, Mara. I guarantee you have my full attention now."

.

.

**Hydian Way, one day out from _Chandrila._**

Luke watched the hyperspace lines rush past the shuttle cockpit window. Since Mara's confession yesterday a wall of silence had been erected between the two. As he sat in the co-pilot seat he glanced over to the beautiful woman in the seat next to him. He knew Mara could sense he was looking at her but she sat unmoving, staring blankly into space.

' _So much for courting_ ,' Luke thought glumly. First Mara was mortified over her accidently crawling into bed with him and then that embarrassment was magnified by her confession that she misconstrued the meaning of his gift of a lightsaber.

Stang, he was an idiot. Why didn't he ask he out after Wayland? He wanted to. And why didn't he ever sense Mara's interest in him? All that time wasted just because he couldn't man up and ask her on a date. And now he was sitting here submissively letting her fume silently. Why was his love life so complicated?

"Mara," Luke said quietly. "Please talk to me."

She gave him a cool glance. "Every time I talk to you Skywalker, I find myself more horrified by what I say or do."

"You shouldn't be. I'm the fool. I was running around frantically looking for Jedi and trying to restart the order that I became oblivious to everything else." He gave he as pleading look. "I ignored the people who meant the most to me. I'm sorry."

Mara remained silent.

He gave her a sheepish look. "How about if I tell you something horribly embarrassing about me. Would that make you feel better?"

"Pfff," Mara snorted. "What could the golden boy of the galaxy have ever done to humiliate himself?"

Luke shrugged slightly. "My nickname on Tatooine was 'Wormie'."

That resulted in a slight snicker from Mara. "Do I want to know how you got that name?"

"It was due to my size," he admitted red-faced.

Mara burst out laughing.

"I mean my height," Luke clarified quickly. "I was the shortest of my friends."

"I believe you," Mara said as she gave a quick glance toward his lap. "But that isn't even close to the embarrassment I felt yesterday."

"Okay, I have another embarrassing moment. In my other reality…or memories…during the Vong war a group of Jedi came with us deep into the under levels of Coruscant. We discovered a tank covered with red goo. We determined the goo was microscopic organic devourers, but the tank wasn't connected to anything so we assumed it was just a cover to prevent access to a secret chamber. I got the bright idea that if I could communicate with these organic devourers I could tell them not to eat me by repeating through the Force, "I am not food. I am not food."

Mara cocked an eyebrow as she gave him an amused smirk. "And did the red devourers bite off any important parts of your body…Wormie?"

Luke snorted. "No, I came out without a scratch…and without a stitch of clothing."

Mara chuckled. "So what? Your wife sees you and who…Corran, Kyle?"

Luke flushed. "I wish, there were young female Jedi in the group." He shook his head in shame. "They were pretending not to look but the shock and awe I sense from them through the Force was palpable."

"Awe!" Mara let out a roaring laugh. "Luke, I can't believe you said that. Shock I can understand, but awe!"

Luke turned crimson. "That's not what I meant. _Shock and Awe_ is a military term. That came out wrong. I just meant it was a alarming experience for them, not that were impressed by what they saw…down there."

Mara chuckled. "So does that mean they weren't impressed."

"I don't know…the water was cold in that tank and the thought of red devourers swimming around my body may have caused things to…tighten up a bit."

"You mean shrinkage?" Mara scoffed. "So what you felt in the Force was probably actually shock and disappointment."

"Ha, ha," Luke said sarcastically. "Is that embarrassing enough to call us even?"

She shook her head. "Not even close."

Luke's shoulder's slumped. "Okay, there is something else, but if I tell you…you can never, ever tell a soul! And I mean _never!_ Even if we have a falling out and you develop and overwhelming desire to eviscerate me and cast my soul to the deepest level of the Corellian Hells… you must still vow never to repeat what I am about to tell you."

Her eyes narrowed. "Okay, I make a vow never to tell, but I doubt it's that embarrassing."

"Okay," Luke said slowly. He looked over to the communication station to make sure it was off. "There was this kiss."

Mara smiled. "A kiss?"

Luke hesitated not wanting to go on and wondering if he could ever face her again after today. He took a deep breath and continued. "Yes, a kiss I got while on the planet Hoth."

.

.

.

"Mara please stop laughing," Luke begged his friend.

The trader was doubled up in laughter. "Gods Luke, that _is_ embarrassing." She shook her head and chuckled. "You won. Nothing in my life gets close to that awkward moment. In fact, nothing I have ever done seems embarrassing at all now."

Luke frowned, regretting telling her. "Mara, don't tell anybody, please."

"I made a vow and I'll keep it." She got up and walked to the rear of the ship while still laughing.

"Where are you going?" Luke asked.

"To the 'fresher. If I don't stop laughing I think I am going to wet my pants."

Luke's shoulders slumped. If Leia found out that he told anybody about this he was so dead.


	10. Chapter 10

**_Chandrila_ **

The shuttle juddered slightly upon entering Chandrila's upper atmosphere. Mara checked the readouts to ensure the heat shields were holding before she adjusted the altitude and vertical control indicators in preparation for their approach to Hanna City. She smiled at the sight of the cloud covered blue and green sphere below. Chandrila was Mara's favorite planet. It was a temperate world that consisted of huge oceans and large continents covered with lush vegetation and full of animal life. The local population valued nature and even went as far as put limits on the number of children families could have in order to remain in balance with the environment. The humans there were relatively peaceful, but they did like to debate and haggle. It was hard to get a bargain from the local merchants.

"Chandrila looks like nice planet," Luke said as he gazed down to the colorful world below.

She looked over to the Jedi occupying the co-pilot seat. "You've never been here?"

Luke shook his head. "No, after the Battle of Yavin the Empire blockaded the planet. After it was liberated I never had time to travel here."

"You're in luck, my flight schedule has me staying two days on planet. I had planned to work one day and relax on the next."

Luke smiled, "Can I relax with you? I'll give me a chance to work on my courting skills," he said jokingly as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

She heaved a sigh, pretending to be annoyed. "I guess…Wormie. Maybe while I am making my purchases you can figure out something to do during our downtime."

Luke didn't seem at all deterred by her nickname jab, in fact his eyes shone and his face revealed a cheerful eagerness that she had not seen on the Jedi for a long time. Obviously he was elated that the tension between them had diminished since he confessed to her his most embarrassing moments. It was good that he did. Before yesterday he always came off as the Jedi Master. Now she saw him more as a man and a friend with the same amount of secrets, disappointments and foibles as any other person in the galaxy. She had to admit…she liked Luke's shy farmboy turned Rogue pilot persona much more than the stoic Jedi Master that she had become accustomed to on Yavin IV.

"I get to plan a date," he grinned happily. "I can do that."

Mara rolled her eyes. "You can plan an outing."

Luke smirked. "You do know courting is synonymous with dating."

Mara shook her head. "Not to me. Courting is an attempt to attract a person, to woo them. Dating means both parties are pursuing each other." She gave him an amused look. "I'm not pursuing you, remember? I'm waiting for something better to come along. Maybe a tall, handsome, muscular demi-god will ask me out."

"Funny, Mara." Luke said with a sly smile. "Get ready to be wooed. By the time we get to Coruscant you are going to be _so_ wooed that we'll be dating…and possibly romancing, swooning and seducing. "

Mara laughed. "Gods, what have I gotten myself into?"

.

.

 

It took most of the afternoon for Mara to get the cargo purchased, delivered and properly tied down in the cargo hold.

"I hope your planned outing involves dinner." Mara told Luke as they tautened the last of the tie down straps.

Luke practically beamed at her. "Yes. I didn't know what outfits you had on board so I didn't plan on going anywhere fancy. So dress casual. I made dinner reservations for 1900."

Mara looked at her wrist chrono. "That perfect. It gives me time to shower and change," she said as she moved toward the passenger area of the shuttle.

Luke watched her leave, the smile never leaving his face. "Our first date," he whispered.

.

.

"The _Chakula_ restaurant on Eleventh and Forty-eight," Luke told the skytaxi driver as he and Mara entered the vehicle.

"Got it," the Bothan driver said as he took off abruptly pushing Mara and Luke back into their seats.

Mara turned to Luke. "How do you know about this restaurant?"

Luke gave his shoulders a slight shrug. "I just checked the HoloNet for restaurants with good ratings and no dress codes. They have a variety of cuisine. I figured there might be something there we would like." He glanced over to Mara his eyes gliding over her body. "I like your outfit."

"A short-sleeve tunic over straight leg pants can't be considered an outfit worthy of praise," she replied.

"It is when you're in it," Luke said with a wink.

Mara looked away shyly. "Save the false compliments, Skywalker. These are work clothes." She self-consciously smoothed the wrinkles out of her shirt. "When I left the _Wild Karrde_ I wasn't expecting on going out on a date."

Luke grinned broadly. "So it is a date?"

Mara blanched at her gaffe. "I meant outing."

"Fine, an outing. You still look beautiful." A besotted grin covered his face.

Mara closed her eyes and shook her head. "Cool your jets Skywalker. Did your Mara like sappy compliments?"

He chuckled. "She hated it when I said them in public, but she liked them in private."

Mara rolled her eyes. "Spare me the details of your overactive imagination."

"Okay." Luke gave her a knowing look. "I wouldn't want to ruin our date."

"Outing," Mara shot back.

Luke wisely opted not to argue the point. The two sat silently until they arrived at the restaurant.

.

.

 

When they arrived to the restaurant they were ushered over to a corner booth of the eating establishment. Luke was relieved. It offered them some privacy and hopefully they could avoid the media hounds that would follow him doggedly whenever his whereabouts became known.

As Mara perused the menu Luke went ahead and ordered some wine. "Can we get a bottle of Corellian Humalassa sparkling rosé, please?"

Mara looked up surprised. "That's my favorite."

Luke grinned as he looked over his menu. "I know."

Mara's eyes narrowed. "I don't remember ever telling you that."

Luke's smile grew broader. "You made sure three cases were on hand at our wedding reception."

She gave him a hard look. "I must have mentioned it to you in the past."

"Maybe, or it could be I was married to your double in another dimension." Luke looked at his menu for a minute before looking up at Mara. "Or maybe it was all a dream and the Force is giving me clues to help me court you."

Mara scoffed. "I'm sure that must be it," she said sarcastically. "The Force suddenly has become a matchmaker."

"Maybe the Force collects Chak Hearts."

She gave Luke a questioning look.

"It is part of the Ewok Festival of Love Celebration. They were little bits of bark from their sacred spirit tree with a heart carved of it. Visitors who did deeds in the name of love were awarded the hearts. They are supposed to be good luck."

An satirical smile touched her lips. "Weren't the Ewoks the creatures that intended to eat you and Han?"

Luke laughed. "Yes, but now we are part of the tribe."

She regarded him drolly. "I hope they don't serve stewed Jedi with a side dish of smuggler at these celebrations."

Luke shook his head. "Maybe Stormtrooper pâté. I am pretty sure I saw a head roll out of one of the trooper helmets they were using as drums."

Mara made a face, "That really is a disgusting thought."

"Sorry," Luke said then smiled in a languid way. "I wouldn't mind if the Force was giving me some assistance. I'll take all the help I can get."

Mara eyed him over her menu and cocked up an eyebrow. "So tell me something about your Mara that you think gives you insight to me and my personality. Then I can dispel your theory that the Force is at work."

Luke put his menu down and looked at Mara fondly "My Mara liked going to parties, but didn't like hosting them. She hated cooking, but enjoyed eating at home; we had a lot of take out or delivery meals." He paused for a second trying to gauge her reaction. When she didn't comment he continued. "She loved dancing and the theater."

Mara gave a slight shrug. "That probably describes most women who grew up in the Imperial Court."

Luke nodded and continued. "Her favorite holofilm was the love story "A Parsec Apart", but she would never admit it to anyone and she would turn it off whenever I came into the room…but I could tell she was all weepy over the sad ending."

"I was not!" Mara protested. "I mean I am sure your alternate dimension fantasy Mara wasn't crying. If so then you conjured up a Mara Jade that is completely out of character from who I am."

"Yeah, I'm sure that must be it," Luke said sardonically mirroring Mara's earlier comment. "So you've never seen the movie?"

"I may have seen it once…by accident."

"Humph," Luke scoffed.

The arrival of the waiter interrupted their conversation long enough for Luke and Mara to order their food.

Luke decided not to argue the point, but simply forged on. "Her favorite way to unwind was soaking in a warm tub with either bubble bath or scented bath oils and she loved it when I gave her a back massage afterwards."

Mara chuckled. "I can't picture you as the masseur type."

"I wasn't," he said warmly. "The first time I tried it she complained that I was just pinching her muscles and made things feel worse. So for our fifth Wedding Anniversary I secretly took a class on how to give a sensual massage. She never complained about my touch after that."

She shook her head in disbelief. "You're too much, Skywalker."

He looked at her questioningly. "You find nothing similar between you and her?"

"Luke, what you described could be said about 90 percent of the women in the galaxy. I don't think the Force is giving you cheat sheets on how to romance a woman."

Luke's shoulders dropped a bit disappointed. "Oh well, I guess I am going to have to seduce you using my farmboy charm and maybe a Jedi mind trick."

She smiled at that comment. "I'd put your money on the mind trick."

The food arrived along with the sparkling wine. They both dug in hungrily. Luke was having a wonderful time…which made him feel a little guilty. What if Ben wasn't a creation of his imagination, but somebody waiting for his father in another dimension? It was hard for Luke to enjoy himself when he didn't know for sure. But what was he going to do? Waru was gone and there was no way to determine what exactly happened to him that day on Crseih Station. He might as well make the best of things.

Mara took a sip of the wine and closed her eyes savoring the taste. "The flavor is incredible." She looked over her glass at the Jedi. "So how was your Mara as a mother? I can't imagine me having a child, changing diapers and doing midnight feedings."

"Mara was a great mother." Luke said happily, eager to talk about his lost love. "I remember when she saw Ben for the first time…the look on her face was pure love. I think any anxiety she had about becoming a mother disappeared at that moment."

Mara smiled slightly, "so she also had her doubts about becoming a mother?"

Luke nodded. "I think most people have some fears, but she had more so than others." He took a sip of wine. "A few days before the birth I remember laying in bed with her. Our hands were on her belly and we could feel the movement of our baby. He was kicking that night. I could tell she was anxious about something so I asked her about it."

She leaned forward slightly. "What did she say?"

"Well, after chiding me for ' _being in her head'_ , she said she worried about being a good mother. She never knew her mother. She was raised in the Imperial courts mainly by nanny droids and Imperial trainers. Palpatine was the closest thing she had to a parental figure. She wondered if a person trained as an assassin would have the maternal instinct needed to raise a child. But after delivery, once Ben was snug in her arms, we all knew the truth."

"Which was?" she whispered.

Luke smiled. "She was going to be as protective as a mother Nexu with her cub. She would use all her training to protect our son." Luke eyes shone with unshed tears. "I remember all the kidnapping attempts on Leia's children and I realized Ben had the perfect mother. Yes, she was a trained assassin, spy, and later Jedi and all that training made her into a strong woman and mother who would protect her son until her dying breath."

Luke suddenly stopped talking remembering that is exactly what Mara did. He quickly moved the subject to safer ground. "Anyway, she loved and cared for Ben like any mother. She did have the maternal instinct that she worried so much about. She changed diapers and did midnight feedings without complaint. Although we didn't have as much time with Ben as a baby as we would have liked. During the war we sent the Jedi children into hiding in the Maw."

"So the children survived the war," Mara asked.

Luke fell silent, remembering the fatal mission to Myrkr. "The youngest children were safe, but the teenage and young adults fought along side the more seasoned Jedi. Anakin Solo volunteered to lead a dangerous mission to Myrkr. His strike team planned to take out a cloning facility that was creating genetically engineered predators developed from vornskr stock and used to hunt Jedi." He paused for a moment as he remembered that fatal mission. "They were vicious and deadly predators. They had a poisoned barbed tail, could spit acid and emit ear shattering sonic blasts… and they all had a taste for Jedi blood. Unfortunately Anakin and some of the other young Jedi were killed."

Mara sat back in shock. "How old was he?"

"Almost seventeen," Luke said softly.

"What idiot sent a sixteen year old kid on a dangerous mission?"

Luke pushed his food around on his plate. "I did."

Mara put her fork down and leaned forward gazing deeply into Luke's eyes. "Isn't that enough proof that Cilghal is correct."

His eyes dropped and roved across his plate nervously. "What do you mean?"

"Luke, if you knew where the facility was located you bomb it from space. Look at Palpatine's Galaxy Gun…it could penetrate the planetary shields of any world and destroy it in a heartbeat. Build one of those weapons and blow the planet to bits if you have to. The Luke Skywalker I knew would never send young teens on such a dangerous mission."

"The situation was complicated and dire." Luke looked up from his plate. "Also, I may not be the Luke Skywalker you knew. Maybe I switched places with your Luke while in Waru."

Mara frowned. "Anything is possible, but I still think Cilghal's theory is correct." She thought for a moment then looked up at Luke with probing eyes. "How did these invaders discover the existence of Vornskrs? Palpatine actively hid their existence to the general populace. I know you had no knowledge of them before you came to Myrkr."

He gave a weak shrug of the shoulders, but remained silent.

"Why didn't you counter these mutated Vornskrs attacks by using the ysalamiri," Mara continued. "It would hide your Force signature?"

Luke grimaced. "For some reason the ysalamiri made the voxyn—that was the name for the bioformed vornskrs—mad with rage. They would do anything to kill them. So having a ysalamiri only made things worse."

Mara cocked an eyebrow. "So a creature created to hunt down Force-users has an insatiable desire to kill a Force-void creature. Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe the invaders knew about the ysalamiri and bioengineered the voxyn to hate them."

"Or maybe it never happened and while inside Waru your fear of losing Jedi took the form of a mutated, super lethal Vornskr. I mean, come on Luke, acid for drool. That is something you see in science fiction holos." She paused in thought and then started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm just imagining those mutated, acid drooling vornskrs grooming themselves. That had to be a pain in the butt."

The image she conjured up in his mind broke his melancholy. "Literally," he conceded. He took another bite of his food and thought about what was said. "You might be right. It does seem far-fetched that the aliens that attacked us were impervious to just about everything we could throw at them including conventional weapons and the power of the Force. Luke sighed. "Just a little too convenient." He looked up at Mara and gave her a weak smile. "Almost as convenient as having the Force arranging our marriage."

Mara shrugged her shoulders noncommittally.

Luke stared at his plate as an empty feeling started to creep into his belly. He dreaded the thought of losing his son, but the knowledge that the Vong war never happened, Jacen didn't turn to the darkside, and Mara was never killed should give him some solace. The last thirty years consisted of one nightmare after another. He should be relieved that it was all a figment of his imagination, and he would have been comforted if it wasn't for the loss of his son.

"Let's change the subject," Mara suggested. "I don't want to be around a glum Jedi all night. Tell me something about your memories that aren't horrifying or foreboding."

Luke shook off the sullen feelings that threatened to envelop him and smiled softly. "My Mara and I had a Force bond that was special. It was part of that Force-bonding-marriage-matchmaking-epiphany you joked about." Luke chuckled with private pleasure. "It was very special. I felt so close to her." Luke closed his eyes in thought tried to think of a way to describe it. "It was a intermingling of our Force senses. We could feel each other's emotions. It wasn't a particularly a great thing to have when experiencing grief or sadness, but when we were happy and full of joy it would intensify the emotion tenfold…and Force, it made the sex incredible." Luke's eyes flew open. He didn't mean to say that out loud.

Mara started coughing up her drink. She pulled her napkin to her mouth and tried to regain her composure.

"I'm sorry Mara, that sort of slipped out." Luke was trying to keep a straight face, but not doing a very good job.

Mara glared at him. "Just make sure nothing else slips out."

Luke looked at her mischievously. "Was that a double entendre?"

Mara turned bright red. "No!"

Luke laughed. "I better quit while I'm still alive. I keep forgetting you're the Mara who a few years ago wanted to kill me."

She glowered at him. "And you better not forget it. I may still kill you if you don't stop the smart comments."

Luke gazed at her lovingly. "Gods, how I missed you threatening me."

A roll of the eyes was her only response to that comment.

He smiled and continued eating. "Would you like to go dancing afterwards? I looked at the map on the HoloNet and there is a nightclub at the end of the street."

"I didn't think you knew how to dance?" Mara said. "Didn't you tell me you kept stepping on your dance partners' toes at your sister's wedding?"

"I've since learned to dance."

"Did Callista teach you?" Mara asked with a slight condescending tone.

Luke's eyes twinkled. "No you did."

She gave him a steady look. "Okay, I'll go dancing with you. I'd like to see how well your Mara taught you."


	11. Chapter 11

Luke and Mara walked down to the _Arkanian Dragon_ , a trendy nightclub and dance spot that was garish and noisy, but dark enough to keep most people from recognizing them. Whenever an individual did give them a double take Luke made a slight motion with his hand and the person suddenly lost interest. It didn't take long for Mara to realize Luke was using the Force to disguise their presence or at least divert attention away from them.

After finding a quiet booth and having a couple drinks Luke stood and held his hand out to Mara. "Would you care to dance?"

"I look forward to seeing what you have learned over the years," Mara said wryly.

Mara expected a heavy-footed Jedi, but instead she was astonished at the ease Luke moved across the dance floor. He _did_ learn how to dance somehow and she found it interesting that he appeared to know all her favorite dance steps. It was almost as if she did teach him. At first the Jedi maintained a respectful distance while slow dancing, but as the evening drew on Mara noticed Luke had become bolder and was breaking the barriers of her personal space until their bodies were almost entwined. Her brain told her she should stop what was happening, but her body resisted any demand for reason and instead surrendered to an odd, heady sensation that threatened to overtake her…she was having fun…it was a state bordering on pure happiness.

At the moment they were swaying to the music of a slow and seductive song. He pulled her close until his hips were snug with hers as he wrapped his hands around her waist and rested his cheek on the side of her head. There was no hesitation in his movement. It was like he rehearsed that romantic move a thousand times in another lifetime.

He was so different from the Luke Skywalker she talked to a little over a month ago. He wasn't as shy and cautious around her as before. The overly familiar way he now socialized with her was unexpected and sometimes unnerving, but she also found his new confidence and more mature nature…intriguing. Her arms were draped around his neck and as she leaned forward to lay her head on his shoulder and he responded by pulling her closer. She could feel his heart beat quicken as he pressed her against his firm, athletic body. She smiled as she breathed in his clean light scent—a mixture of soap and aftershave. She hated it when men wore overpowering colognes. Luke either didn't like the smell either, or he knew what her preferences were. She melted into his embrace feeling strangely exhilarated.

What was she doing? She shouldn't be encouraging him. But it felt so right, so good… she felt loved…and she hadn't experienced that sensation in a very long time. She was going to be in his company for another week…there was no harm in enjoying herself. At the end of this supply run then they could decide what to do. By then Luke would probably realize their relationship could never work…or maybe she would realize she was wrong when she thought it couldn't.

.

.

Luke looked down at the beautiful woman in his arms. He was back with the love of his life. It felt so right and he never wanted to let her go. Of course, if he tried to hold on to her too long he was positive she wouldn't hesitate to use her lightsaber to pry him off. Luke grinned at the thought, but then his smile dimmed as he realized he had only a week left on this supply run. If he couldn't convince Mara they were meant for each other he might not have another opportunity as perfect as he had now. He had to get this right.

Luke cursed silently when the music changed to a quick tempo. He reluctantly pulled away from the lovely lady in his arms. She looked up at him, giving him a warm smile that made his heart skip a beat.

"This was a wonderful night," she said. "But I'm getting tired, and I think you said you had something planned for tomorrow."

Luke risked putting his arm around her waist as he guided her off the dance floor. "I thought we would go to the beach. The Silver Sea is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the planet."

Mara frowned. "Luke, I really don't want to go to the most popular tourist destination on the planet with the most popular public figure in the galaxy. We'll be mobbed."

"Don't worry I have that all planned out," he assured her. He paid the bar tab, then they departed the nightclub. Once outside Luke flagged down a skytaxi.

"I'm pretty sure if we wear a shadowcloak in the water it will short out," Mara joked as they entered the cab.

"No, I have something better in mind," Luke handed the driver a piece of flimsy with an address written on it.

When the driver took off Mara realized they weren't headed in the direction of the docking bay where their shuttle was located. She turned to Luke. "I hope you're not bringing me to a hotel!" The words came out tense and accusingly.

If she expected Luke to blanch and back peddle it didn't happen. "Not at all," he said calmly. "A friend lent me her beach house for the day. It has multiple bedrooms with doors that can be locked." He gave her a smirk. "I'll make sure my door is double locked and I may put a couple dead fall traps in place to make sure you don't sneak into my bed again." A sharp elbow to the ribs followed that comment. "Ouch, Mara, that is the same place you hit me before."

"I know." She looked over at him suspiciously. You've never been to Chandrila, but you have a friend that has a beach house located on the most expensive shoreline on the planet."

"This _is_ Mon Mothma's homeworld…and Leia called in some favors for me."

Mara's eyes went wide. "We're going to be staying at the beach house of the former Chief of State?" She put her hand over her mouth to suppress her laughter. "Skywalker, you are really pulling out all the stops."

He gazed over to her lovingly. "Yes, I am. And you're worth it."

.

.

When the airtaxi arrived to the beach estate they were met at the gate by a security droid. After the guard verified their identities they were escorted to the guest wing of the home. There they were greeted by a protocol droid similar to See-Threepio, but with a more modern design and a deep, soothing male voice.

"Mistress Mothma asked me to extend a warm welcome to both of you and cordially invite you make yourself at home," the droid said as he guided Luke and Mara to their rooms. He stopped in front of a large ornate door. "This is your room Miss Jade." The droid turned to Luke. "I have stocked the room with the supplies you ordered Master Skywalker."

Mara turned to Luke. "Supplies?"

"You'll see," was all he said.

The droid motioned to the door across the hall. "This is your room Master Skywalker. If you have any requests please use the comlink provided in each room. There are chef and housekeeping droids on staff if you need anything." With that said the droid made a curt bow and shuffled off down the hall.

Mara looked at Luke suspiciously. "You had supplies delivered to my bedroom?"

Luke gave a sheepish look and chuckled. "Don't make it sound so nefarious. It's not like it's lingerie, felt-lined stun cuffs and a Force whip."

"Luke!" Mara gasped in shock as she playfully pushed him away. She then gave him a curious look. "And how exactly does a shy farmboy know about such things?"

Luke smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Well, after twenty years of marriage, sometimes a couple needs to venture out and try new things…and when you are married to a former Imperial assassin the activities she thought would put a spark in our marriage were sometimes …surprising and scary."

She stared at him with wide and somewhat disbelieving eyes. "Are you saying your Mara would…" she stopped not knowing what to say. Luke put a finger over her lips and gave her an imploring look for her not to continue.

"Let's just say, my Mara didn't _always_ like me as the Master," he said with a laugh as he gave her a devious wink.

She howled with laughter and to Luke's surprise she grabbed him by the shoulders for support. "Luke, you are becoming more endearing by the day. No wonder your Mara loved you so much."

Luke couldn't help but laugh. He was once again mortified by what he would tell this woman, but he could feel Mara's shields falter and fall every time she found out something new about him. Sometimes she was so open he could almost feel the nascent beginnings of a Force bond growing between them.

She laughed for a few more minutes before venturing into her room to see what Luke had bought her. Inside on the bed was a clothing store shopping bag. She eyed Luke warily as she pulled out the contents. Inside were swimwear and a couple sets of shorts and casual tunics.

Mara held up the swimsuits to examine them.

"I wasn't sure what you preferred, one piece or two, so I purchased both."

"They're beautiful. How did you know my size?"

Luke gazed at her steadily. "You know how." He turned toward the back of the room where the private 'fresher was located. He looked inside and smiled. "Your bathing supplies were also delivered I see."

Mara went over to the door and peered into the room. Inside was a large whirlpool bathtub. On the marble sink next to the bath was a beautifully woven basket filled with an assortment of soaps, bubble bath and aromatherapy bath oils. She gave Luke a stunned look. "You're wife's favorites?"

Luke looked down at the floor bashfully. "Yes, I hope you like them also."

She wasn't sure what happened while Luke was inside Waru, but it appeared to give him uncanny insight to many of her likes and dislikes. "They're my favorites also. Thank you." She was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. She went over to the bed and sat down.

Luke frowned. "Are you alright?"

Mara looked up to him perplexed. "Luke I know I never mentioned to anybody my preference in toiletries. There is no way you could know." She gave him a strange look. "Unless you've been stalking me for years."

He laughed. "No, I haven't been stalking you."

Mara shook her head in confusion. "It doesn't make sense that you can know intimate details about my life if what you experienced was all a dream."

Luke sat down next to her. "I know. Something is happening. Either Cilghal was wrong or the Force is at work giving me insight." Luke ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just as confused as you are, but I can't figure out a way to determine what happened to me while in Waru."

"I guess we may never know," Mara muttered.

Luke nodded. He glanced over to her and then reached over and gently took her hand in his. "I want to thank you for a perfect evening Mara. You made this day very special." He hesitated for a moment and then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box. "I bought you a small gift. I hope you'll accept it." He opened the case and held it so she could see the contents.

Mara gasped in surprise when she saw a Dai Bendu Pendant of Unity. "Luke, I can't take this. It's too expensive."

"No, I got it at a bargain price from your friend Roberto." Luke smiled as he took the pendant out of the box. He reached around Mara to place the necklace around her neck. "It took some haggling and winning two out of three coin tosses to get him to lower his price, but he finally gave me the deal of a lifetime."

Mara bit down on her lower lip trying not to laugh. "He had you flip a coin."

"No actually he would flip the coin and I would pick it up...very slowly and seductively."

"Luke!" Mara cried out. "You knew what he was doing?"

"Not the first time, but I soon caught on. I'm not a Jedi Grand Master for nothing."

Mara gave him a mock impressed look. "Ohh, you're now a Grand Master. Who promoted you?"

Luke gave her grin. "I did." He made sure the chain fastening was secure then cocked his head to admire the amulet. "Do you like it?"

She looked down at the jewelry looking overwhelmed. "You know I do." She leaned in and gave him a warm embrace. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you accepted it because this day is so very special for a couple reasons," Luke said as they separated from their embrace.

"And what's that?" Mara asked.

"Well the main reason is it is our first date…even if you say it is only an outing."

"And what's the other?"

Luke looked at the floor hesitantly. "Ummm….well, today would have been our 25th Wedding anniversary."

"Oh," was all Mara said.

Luke gave her a shamefaced look. "I wasn't sure how you would react to that revelation." He gazed up at the ceiling as if looking for the answer to an important question. "I shouldn't have told you. It probably makes you think I only gave you something because of a memory of another woman, but that's not it. You _are_ my Mara…just in different timelines…or maybe not, depending on what Waru did to me. But no matter what, you _are_ my Mara. You are the woman I loved…and still love." Luke looked away trying to compose himself emotionally. "I always planned on giving her something nice for this special anniversary and you gave me that opportunity." He turned and looked deeply in her eyes. "Thank you."

Mara nodded but remained silent. Luke reached out and touched the amulet. "This symbolizes unity. I hope it will help unify us." With that he leaned in and gave Mara a soft kiss on the cheek. "This is one gift that does have the hidden meaning. And to make sure there's no confusion, I definitely do want a relationship with you," he said lovingly. Luke stood and walked towards the door. "Goodnight Mara."

Mara felt like the wind had been pulled from her lungs. Before could shake herself out of her stupor Luke had exited her room.

She looked down at the jewelry, her heart beating wildly. She realized the situation was spiraling out of control. Luke Skywalker was doing everything in his power to seduce her and to her utter amazement…it was working.


	12. Chapter 12

**_Chandrila_ **

The light spilling in from the bedroom window woke Mara up the next morning. She sat up in bed and stretched while thinking about the night before. After Luke left she took a long warm bath…and it was amazing. It had been a while since she had the time or opportunity to pamper herself like that. The fact that Luke had purchased all her favorite aromatherapy oils only helped matters; it was such a sweet and thoughtful gift. And the pendant…that was a present she would cherish always.

She still didn't quite understand how Luke knew so many things about her. If Cilghal was wrong and Luke actually lived twenty years with another Mara in another dimension he could know countless things about her…depending on how similar she was to her double that is. She knew there were differences. Luke's Mara didn't have romantic relationships prior to marrying the Jedi. She wondered why. Could her double have had a tougher life?

Mara blushed fiercely as an embarrassing thought came to her. If she was very similar to his wife does that mean Luke would know all about her erotic likes, dislikes and secret passions? Her mind drifted back to the comment Luke made during dinner at how his bond with his wife had made their sexual relationship more pleasurable.

' _Great,'_ Mara thought irritably _, 'now I am going to be thinking about Force-enhanced sex for the remainder of the week._

There was a knock at the door dragging Mara out of her musings. She clamped down on her mental shields when she realized it was Luke on the other side of the door. She prayed to whatever gods there were that he didn't sense what she was thinking. "Just a minute," she called out.

She quickly dressed in the casual shorts and shirt he purchased and then opened her bedroom door. Outside in the hallway she found Luke standing in an open bathrobe. The first thing that drew Mara's attention was his impressive bare and muscular chest. Her eyes then appeared to move under their own volition as her heated gaze drifted down to his well-toned abdominals until they came to a disappointing halt at a swimsuit waistband…but what a suit! He was wearing a pair of butt-hugging square cut swim shorts that didn't do much to conceal what lay beneath.

"It's about time you woke up sleepy head," Luke said grinning. "It's mid-morning. Do you want breakfast?" Luke smile grew wider when Mara didn't reply. "Mara…hey Mara."

Mara looked up embarrassed. "Wha…What?"

Luke brought his hand up to point to his face. "My eyes are up here Mara." He then started laughing. "My wife loved me in this type of suit."

She blushed furiously. "I think you have an unfair advantage Skywalker."

His sky-blue eyes lingered on her face. "Maybe, but I am going to use it to the best of my ability. Do you want breakfast? I can have the chef droids wrangle up an omelet, Nurf sausage," he gave her a warm smile, "and maybe two glasses of Mymoza," Luke said referring to a Chandrila breakfast drink that consisted of chilled citrus juice and sparkling white wine.

"That would be nice." Mara replied. "I'll get my suit on also."

"Okay I'll get it organized." Luke smiled as she slowly closed her door.

As the door clicked shut Mara let out a shuddered breath as she leaned her back against the wall, feeling a little weak in the knees.

What was going on with her? She never felt such a strong attraction to another person before in her life. Luke was pouring on the charm and fanning the flames of her pent-up desires that had lain dormant for years. She didn't know how long she could resist him or if she even should try.

"Damn that Skywalker," she muttered. "He's always turning my life upside down."

.

.

.

Mon Mothma's beach estate encompassed over a kilometer of beach frontage and because of her prior political position the skies over her home were declared a no-fly zone. It was an idea place to enjoy the beach in privacy.

After breakfast, Luke brought out a large blanket and some beach towels from the house. There were three large covered beach cabanas on the property. Inside each of the tented structures was a double bed type of lounge settee and silk curtains along the support beams that could be pulled closed for privacy. As tempting as the bed looked, Luke opted to lie out in the sun. He wanted to feel the sunlight on his body. He laid the blanket on the sand in front of the closest cabana and sat down. Mara followed close behind carrying a small basket with drinks and sunscreen.

"This is nice," Mara said as she sat on the blanket next to Luke and gazed out to the waves lapping over the white-sand beach. "A week ago if somebody told me I would be at a beach with Luke Skywalker relaxing in the sun I would have thought they were mad."

Luke chuckled. "If anybody told me two weeks ago that today I would be having a wonderful day with Mara Jade…I'd _know_ they were crazy." Luke gazed over to the woman next to him. She had opted to wear the one-piece suit but it still revealed her gorgeous creamy skin. She looked beautiful. He pulled out the sunscreen from the basket Mara brought.

"Freckled redheads and sun don't usually go well together," he said as he squirted some sunblock cream in his hand. His gaze moved across her body, "can I get your back?"

A faintly amused expression crossed Mara's face. "We all know that is just an excuse to fondle me."

The smiled suddenly dropped off Luke's face and was replaced by a mock look of surprised guilt. "Is the Force giving you insight to my intentions?" He maintained a straight face for a few more seconds before he started laughing. "Just kidding, of course that's the reason." He held his hands out covered with lotion. "Come on, you need it on your back and it will allow me to demonstrate what I learned in my sensual massage class."

She looked at him unsure.

"Don't be afraid, all the grope-worthy parts of you are covered in a bathing suit anyway," he said as he gazed at her affectionately.

"Pfff," Mara responded, but then rolled onto her stomach exposing her bare back and legs to the Jedi. "Remember, no funny business," she reminded him of his promise.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Luke said while scrutinizing the area around him. "I don't know where you could have possibly hid it, but I am sure your holdout blaster is within arm's reach somewhere."

Mara brought her hands under her chin using them as a pillow. "You got that right Jedi. It's in the basket next to the drinks."

Luke glanced over to the basket and realized she was telling the truth. "Stang Mara, don't you trust me?"

"I'm wearing a skimpy swimsuit and allowing you to rub lotion all over my body, I think that is evidence enough that I trust you. The blaster is in case some deranged Jedi loving stalker shows up. Anything can happen around you and it usually does."

"That's true," Luke chuckled as he positioned himself at Mara's side. He placed his hands above her back and hesitated only slightly before his warm palms made contact with her skin. Touching her in this intimate manner almost took his breath away. Her skin was smooth and warm and he felt his desire for her increase with every throb of his pulse and every breath he breathed.

He closed his eyes and tried to rein in his emotions as he continued rubbing lotion on the beautiful woman before him. He liberally rubbed sunblock over her body until he had covered the back of her legs, arms and back. "Would you like a massage?" he asked hopefully.

"Why not," Mara chuckled.

Luke smiled and moved so he was straddling her. Starting at the small of her back he moved his hands up on either side of her spine using long, slow strokes. Mara responded with soft moans of pleasure. Luke grinned and continued working up her back with masterful precision until he reached her shoulders. He then gently massaged her shoulder muscles in a soothing circular motion.

"Gods Luke, that feels so good," Mara sighed, her voice husky with emotion.

Luke wasn't sure where exactly she would tolerate his hands touching her body, but he risked moving them slightly under her suit so he could gently stroke up the sides of her rib cage. He then he returned to her shoulders and back.

He started the massage in an effort to seduce this lovely woman. What he didn't consider was how her lingering moans of joy would affect him or his body. At one point, Luke must have stroked a particularly sensitive spot on her back and she gave out a little cry of delight. That pushed him over the breaking point. Blood rushed to his face along with other parts of his body, making it a very awkward situation. He jumped to his feet and started walking to the surf.

Mara turned over to look at his quizzically. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said red-faced. "I just need to get into some cold, cold water to cool off." He ran off into the ocean and didn't stop until the water was above his waist.

Mara gave him a teasing smirk. "That will teach you to start something you can't finish." She yelled out. She picked up the sunblock and applied the lotion to her front and then moved out to the surf towards Luke.

He gave her a grin and a shrug as she joined him. "Believe me, I would love to finish what I started, but I am pretty sure if I tried you would stun me and bury me up to my neck in the sand so I could watch the tide come in all close and personal."

She shook her head. "No, lesson one of assassin school is don't put a person in an escapable situation and then just walk off an assume they'll die." She smirked. "That's what they always do in the spy thrillers and it drives me crazy. I keep yelling at the holoprojector, ' _Just shoot him!_ '"

"So, if I cross a line, I can expect a quick and painless death?"

"At least quick," she quipped.

Luke responded by splashing the cool ocean water at the former Emperor's Hand. He was amused when she gave an almost girlish shriek and jumped away. "You do have a death wish, Skywalker."

"I want to date you, so I must have," he responded playfully as he splashed her again.

Her eyes narrowed and he knew he was in for it now. Mara swept her hands over the water and with a Force shove directed a small wave over Luke.

"Using the Force," Luke grinned. "That's not fair."

"You give up," Mara taunted him.

Luke gave her a lopsided grin. "I could never beat you Mara." As he said the words he ushered the Force to create a much larger wave behind Mara. It lifted from the sea until it was just over her head. At that point he let go allowing a deluge of seawater to come crashing down on her. He was sure somewhere Master Yoda was shaking his head and condemning his irresponsible use of the Force, but he really didn't care at this point. As far as Luke was concerned courting Mara was the most important mission of his life.

Mara screeched as her hair became a wet tangled mess. Her head snapped up and Luke could see a mischievous look in her eyes.

' _Opps,'_ Luke thought. _'I think I went too far.'_ Mara suddenly made a pushing motion with one hand followed by a quick jerk back with the other.

Luke felt an invisible hand push him back into the surf. When he surfaced he laughed. "Is that all you got?"

Mara gave him a smug grin as she held up his bathing suit. "No, I got something else."

Luke quickly looked down and realized she stripped him. He looked back at her in disbelief. "Mara!" He laughed. "Okay, you win. Give them back."

She shook her head while twirling the shorts around in her hand. "No I think I will head back to the house and see what you are going to do out here."

Luke gave a easygoing chuckle. "You overplayed your hand Mara," he said as he started moving towards her. "The Luke you knew would be horribly embarrassed at his unclothed state, but I'm not that Luke. I'm the man who believes he made love to you on a daily basis for twenty years, remember?"

Mara's smirk dropped from her face and she took a tentative step back at his approach.

"And guess what Mara?"

She looked at him slack jawed. "What?"

"I was naked when we did the deed." He laughed as he walked toward her, his arms held up and out to his side. "Prepare for Shock and Awe, Mara!"

"Oh kriff," she swore as her eyes went wide at the sight of a very unclothed Luke Skywalker stalking toward her. She gave up her plan to tease him and threw his swim shorts in his general direction. "Here!" She laughed and tried to put some distance between them.

Luke fished his swimsuit out of the water. He was up to his waist in the surf, but he knew the water was very clear and she definitely wasn't averting her eyes. He slowly put his shorts back on and gave her a look of smug male satisfaction. "My eyes are up here Mara," he chuckled as he pointed to his blue eyes again.

She blushed furiously, but then she brought up her head defiantly. "The water must be a bit cold, because I wasn't in awe."

"Maybe you need a closer look," Luke said with a grin as he splashed his way up to her. She gave an amused shout as she tried to outrun him through the waves. After a short chase he was able to grab her up into his arms lifting her out of the water. He looked at her lovingly, his face only inches from hers. "Admit it, you're having a good time."

She looked at him flirtatiously. "I can neither confirm or deny that accusation."

He gazed at her intensely, his face tight with eagerness. "Why do you tease me? I can feel you trembling in my arms." He dipped his head down and teased her neck with his lips. She gave a small cry of surprised pleasure that sent ripples down his spine. "Why can't be we honest with each other and admit that there is something special between us?"

She looked up at him with unsure eyes. "Luke, I don't know if what you are feeling is love for your wife or me." She looked away sadly. "I don't know how you could possibly know where your love for her ends and the love for me starts."

He sadly reflected on what she said as he lowered her feet to the ground so she could stand before him as the waves lapped around their waists. "I don't have to find a beginning or an end. You two are one and the same."

She looked away, "I don't know...this situation is so complicated."

He reached up with his hand gently stroking her cheek and guiding her to face him again. "Mara, if what I experienced was a dream…I was dreaming of you."

"True." She smiled slightly, "but what if wasn't a dream?"

Luke squared his shoulders. "If I came from another dimension, there is no way back. It wouldn't be like I was cheating on my wife, she had passed years ago. She would want me to find love again."

He noticed an odd expression on her face. " _You would_ want me to find love again…wouldn't you?"

She shrugged. "Sure…as long as it wasn't a week after my funeral and it wasn't with any of your old girlfriends, or somebody I couldn't stand," she hesitated in thought for a moment. "Or a woman a lot younger than I was or prettier or better at making love."

Luke gave a fake sigh of frustration. "So it would be okay if I found love again ten years after your death as long as it is with an unfamiliar, fat, old woman that was lousy in bed?"

Mara eyed him playfully. "Yes, that would be acceptable."

He chuckled "How about if four years after my wife's death I found love again with another Mara Jade from a parallel universe?"

She took a step closer to him and looked into his deep blue eyes. "It depends."

"Depends on what?" Luke asked softly.

"If you were in love with her and not the memory of your late wife."

Luke put his hands on her shoulders and looked deeply into her emerald eyes. "I think I know a way to figure it out, but you would have to allow me to kiss you."

She eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How is that going to tell you anything?"

"It's an experiment. I figure if I don't really love you and I am just trying to replace my wife I would feel terrible guilt about kissing you."

She scoffed at his reasoning. "You never really learned the scientific method at school, did you?"

He smiled as he leaned forward slowly. "Sure I did, you come up with a hypothesis, then experiment and repeat the experiment multiple times to ensure you continue to get the same results and then come to a conclusion."

Before she could argue the point he closed the distance between them and captured her lips with his kissing her gently, but passionately. Mara stiffened slightly as if in shock, but slowly she relaxed. Her arms wrapped around him as she ran her hands up and down his back until they came to rest on his backside. Luke pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. She responded in kind until they had to break apart for a breath. Luke held her close as he dipped his head down until his forehead rested on hers. They were both trembled as they clung to each other.

Mara's breasts rose sharply as she drew in a long breath. "Gods, I hope you got good results with that experiment," she finally said when she caught her breath.

Luke looked down at her and smiled. "I feel love for you…but perhaps we should repeat the test…to be certain." He pulled her close to him and kissed her hungrily. He felt her fling away her last shred of resistance as she reached up and her arms closed gently about his neck. Her fingers clutched the hair on the back of his head and pulled him closer for a deeper, more intimate kiss. Luke felt like his whole body was suddenly aflame as he reluctantly pulled away from Mara his breath ragged. He went through a Jedi calming technique to try to cool his raging desire. "Mara, I want you, I need you so badly, but I also know this is all so new to you."

She rested her head against his chest panting heavily. "As long as you're not stopping because an overwhelming sense of guilt."

He shook his head. "No, I don't feel guilty. It's you I see Mara, it's you I want, it's you that I'll love forever."

She hugged him gently. "Forever sounds nice."

.

.

.

They played in the surf for a while, splashing and jumping waves. Mara even attempted to teach Luke how to body surf…which resulted in a face full of sand for the Jedi. They took a break to walk hand-in-hand along the shoreline looking for unique shells before they retired to the cabana to get out of the sun.

They lay on the silky white sheet covering the cushions, both staring at each other happily. Luke couldn't believe this was happening. Mara was so stubborn in his other reality that he was shocked he could break through her emotional barriers this easily. But as she often pointed out, _'she wasn't his Mara'_. He had to admit there were differences. Still there were more things alike than different. Right about now Luke could sense growing concerns and doubts building up within Mara. She tried to hide her worries, but their bond was growing and Luke could sense her apprehension.

"What's troubling you?" he asked softly.

She closed her eyes. "Couldn't your wife keep anything from you?"

His smiled faltered slightly. "She could, but usually it was because I wasn't listening to her." He paused waiting for her to continue. When she didn't he prompted her. "Is it about us and our relationship?"

She gave him a semi-sarcastic glare. "No, I was wondering if I turned off the galley oven in the shuttle…of course it's about us."

He rolled over and kissed her on the shoulder lightly. "Tell me what's wrong."

"What happens if we do start dating?"

Luke thought about it for a second. "Well, I guess we go on more 'outings', more dinners, dancing and eventually maybe have some more…romantic encounters," he said with a devious grin as he ran a finger down her side.

"That's not what I meant. Will you expect me to quit my job, to start my Jedi training, move to your jungle moon?"

"No, no, and no." Luke said with a straight-forward gaze. "Mara, the two things I have learned about you over the years is never, ever push you to do anything you don't want to do and to always listen to your concerns."

She gave him a dubious look. "So the wife of a Jedi can go on being part of the Smuggler's Alliance?"

Luke grinned broadly. "Wife? Are you proposing to me, Mara?"

Her eyes went wide when she realized what she said. "I mean girlfriend."

Luke grinned and pulled her closer to him so he could whisper in her ear. "I like the term wife better."

She playfully pushed him away. "Stop changing the subject. Are you saying you wouldn't care if I didn't become a Jedi?"

"That's up to you Mara. I definitely don't expect you to become another student at the Academy. I would like to train you privately, if only for your own protection…being around me can be dangerous." He gave her a curious look. "You really don't want to become a Jedi?"

She sighed. "Luke, I've seen what you have gone through in the few short years as a Jedi Knight and Master. You are a target for criminal warlords, Dark Jedi and Sith. The job of a trader is more profitable and much safer." She turned to him and looked him straight in the eye. "Be honest with me…your other Mara…your Jedi Mara…she died as a Jedi, didn't she? She didn't perish in a speeder accident or passed on after a long illness…her death came while she was wielding a lightsaber, am I right?"

Luke frowned. He really didn't want to discuss this, but she needed to know. "Yes, she died fighting a Sith Lord."

She gave him a long level gaze. "See, why would I want to become a Jedi and die young?"

He looked at her steadily. "She died in an effort to protect our son."

"Oh," was all she said as she looked away embarrassed.

"It's your decision Mara. I'll be happy having you in my life in any capacity whether it be as a trader or a Jedi."

"What about the media, what about your sister?"

"My sister likes you, I don't know why you would think otherwise…you only saved the lives of her children and her twin brother multiple times. That tends to get you on the good side of in-laws. As for the media…kriff them."

She sighed. "They will dredge up my past as an assassin and Imperial. They'll never understand or accept their greatest hero dating somebody like me."

Luke grinned as he grabbed her up in his arms rolling her over until she was straddled across his chest. "I could clear it up for them so they would understand," he said as he kissed her tenderly.

"Clear it up?" she said confused.

"Sure I can tell them I have a thing for sexy, dangerous and domineering women who have a flair for wearing skin tight leather bodysuits."

She chuckled with dour amusement. "Oh I'm sure that would quiet down the HoloNet gossip mongers."

He grinned mischievously. "If they don't believe it we can send them holos. You can wear your leather outfit and I can wear…oh I don't know, do you think I would look good with a collar and studded gimp mask?"

Mara convulsed with laughter as she rolled off the Jedi. "You _are_ incorrigible!"

"How about I send them Holos of you in your swimsuit. That should settle any question as to why I would want to date you," he beamed at her with an almost sensual joy.

"You're crazy. What did Waru do to you?"

"I don't know, but I know what I want to do to you." He rolled over to his side and kissed her gently. She responded in kind, but slowly she pulled away.

"Luke," she said tentatively, "I know what you're doing. You are rushing our relationship along because you fear if I am not totally and utterly smitten with you by the end of this trip I'm going to withdrawal from your life, but that's not true. I'm not going to run away from _'us'_ once we get to Coruscant."

Luke smiled as her comment buoyed his spirits. "Promise?"

She nodded. "Yes, I want to see where this relationship goes." She gave him an inviting look. "Don't worry, you may have everything wrapped up by the end of the week anyway. I have to admit your courting skills are impressive. You've done a great job intermixing your charming farmboy sex appeal along with the charisma of a Jedi Grand Master.

He smiled widely. "So you were able to pick up on that Grand Master allure? That's what I was going for…a powerful but sensitive type of guy."

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him toward her and gave him a gentle kiss. "Is it possible to get another massage. That last one was incredible. Your Mara was a very lucky woman."

"I was the lucky one," Luke said tenderly. "And I would love to give you another massage."


	13. Chapter 13

**_Chandrila_ **

Later that evening Luke arranged a romantic dinner on the balcony of Mon Mothma's beach estate. He had the chef droids cook up Chandrila game fowl, a few local vegetable side dishes and served with sparkling fruit juice.

As they quietly ate dinner, Luke smiled happily at the way the day turned out. This courtship was progressing much better than he could possibly imagine. He didn't know if his wife would have been this open to a relationship in 14 ABY, but for some reason he didn't think so. This Mara seemed less guarded. He marveled at how in a little over a week he went from her barely tolerating his presence to them kissing and caressing each other on the beach. He couldn't wait to see what would happen in the coming days.

"I had a question," Mara said interrupting his reverie.

Luke finished what he was chewing before answering. "Sure, go ahead."

"You said you proposed to your Mara after you two had a Force bonding. If you two were only friends prior to your engagement…how awkward was it for you two…" her face flushed, "for you two to…you know…suddenly start having relations? After all, you never dated prior, but now you are getting married."

Luke smiled. "It was a bit strange. To be honest I was somewhat relieved she wanted to wait until we were married before we had sex. It felt almost unnatural to jump into a physical relationship after being friends for ten years. Waiting allowed us to get accustomed to being around each other…touching each other…kissing. Also, I was a little worried that the bond wasn't permanent. What would happen if we jumped into a physical relationship and this Force epiphany, as you like to call it, slowly dissolved? Would we still feel the same way about each other? If not, a wonderful friendship could have been destroyed." He gave her a slow, gentle smile. "I much prefer doing things the old fashioned way…like we are now, getting to know each other slowly. Also, I think the thrill of the chase is the best part."

Mara gave him a teasing grin. "I really don't think you need time to get to know me…but I do like the chasing part." Her face took on a skeptical look. "You make this Force bonding sound wonderful, but, to be honest, I wouldn't want to know everything about a man I'm dating and be privy to all the intimate details from his previous relationships." She paused for a moment. "How did you feel about your wife knowing everything about you, who you dated, what you did with them or other highly erotic minutiae that most people really don't want to know?"

"It was an extremely intimate situation," Luke admitted. "She never mentioned the other women in my life, probably out of pity more than embarrassment; every one of my previous relationships ended in disaster. Still, I am sure she knew more than she wanted to know. She didn't have relationships in her past that could bother me, but I was somewhat disturbed by the images of the horribly harsh and abusive training she endured as a young child."

Mara frowned. "Really? I thought my training was tough, but I wouldn't describe it as abusive."

Luke looked at her surprised. "That's odd, she told me that for five years she trained under an especially cruel instructor. He was a member of the Imperial Royal Guard named Commander Shreel Honrock."

Mara blanched. "She trained under Honrock for five years?" Luke could see Mara visibly shiver. "Gods, that would be a nightmare. Thankfully I only had to train under that sleemhole for two months."

"What happened to him?" Luke asked.

Mara gave Luke an ironic smile. "Your father killed him."

"What?"

Mara shook her head in amusement. "You father squashed him like a bug on a speeder windshield. I would have cheered if I wasn't so terrified at the time."

"You were _with_ my father when he killed him?" Luke said astonished. "What happened?"

Mara put down her drink and sat back in her seat. "One day I was being trained in hand-to-hand combat by Honrock. I was probably nine years old at the time. I don't remember what I did to upset him that day, I probably didn't move fast enough or performed a task to his high standards, but he became furious. He grabbed me by my tunic and flung me across the room as hard as he could. I hit the wall hard and heard a sickening crack as my nose broke. I was physically and emotionally stunned as I stood in the workout room with a torn shirt and blood gushing from my nose. There was so much blood that, in my young mind, I was certain I was going to die. I remember gagging on the blood and Honrock must have thought I was crying."

Mara looked down at the table and Luke could see her gritting her teeth. "He ran over to me and grabbed my hair and screamed I was a worthless crying piece of skidcrust. I would never amount to anything and he should do the Emperor a favor by killing my worthless ass." She clinched her hands into fists. "I just snapped and I did something I've never done before. I turned and punched him as hard as I could in the groin. I then rushed out of the gymnasium…and ran head on into Lord Vader." Mara smacked her hands together for emphasis and despite the seriousness of the story a faint smile appeared. "My face struck this chest plate and left a bloody blotch on his uniform. I'll always remember that."

Luke's jaw dropped. He couldn't imagine the horror that must have been to a nine-year-old girl.

"At first I didn't know what I hit, but slowly my eyes moved up until I saw your father staring down at me behind his ominous black mask. I had seen Vader from a distance before, but never this close up…it was _very_ intimidating." She laughed sardonically. "Unfortunately, while I was looking up at him the blood from my nose ran down the back of my throat and I started coughing and spit up more blood on the Sith Lord. At that point I thought, ' _Okay, I'm dead._ '"

"What happened next," Luke prompted her. He had never heard this story before and was totally transfixed by the tale.

"At that time Honrock came limping out of the training room swearing up a storm and clutching his crotch. I spun around and realized I was now trapped between two men that were my worst nightmares." Mara stopped and chuckled. "Years later I wondered what Vader thought of the situation. Here was a young girl with her clothing ripped and tattered and a furious middle-aged man chasing her while cradling his groin." She shook her head in grim amusement then continued. "Vader looked at him and said in a booming voice, ' _Are you having difficulty keeping control of your trainee, Commander Honrock?'_ "

"At that point I tried to leave, but your father put his hand on my shoulder and I just froze in place. Luckily for me Honrock was as stupid as he was cruel. He leered at Vader and told him, _'The girl is none of your concern, Lord Vader. The Emperor put me in charge of her training and I answer to him only._ "

"Honrock wasn't Force sensitive, otherwise he would have ran for his life. I could sense a dark anger swirling around Vader. I never felt that type of intense uncontrolled dark Force power before. Palpatine was probably more powerful, but his evil was cold and calculating. Your father was like a volcano of rage and fury. Vader slowly stretched out his free hand an then with a flick of his fingers he Force shoved Honrock sideways like a ragdoll. He hit the wall so hard it actually dented the duracrete. He was dead on impact. As he slid down to the ground into a broken heap I remember exhaling forcefully…completely relieved that my nightmare was over. That was until Vader turned his attention back to me and then my blood ran cold. I thought it was my turn. But all he said was, ' _Report to the medbay, youngling._ ' He then walked away like nothing happened."

Luke let out a breath somewhat shocked by the story. "Did you get in trouble for the incident?"

"No, I was given a new instructor a week later. He was a highly decorated shock trooper instructor." She smiled at Luke. "He was a tough taskmaster, but fair. He was a family man with a daughter my age."

"So he treated you better?"

Mara nodded. "He even got the Emperor to allow him to bring me to his daughter's Life Day party. I asked him how he pulled that off and he said he convinced the Emperor that I needed to learn how to interact with other children if I was ever going to be an effective spy."

"So you were able to grow up with other kids?" Luke asked.

Mara gave a forlorn sigh. "No, after my one and only visit Palpatine halted any further outings."

"Why is that?" Luke asked.

"I think he sensed the turmoil it caused within me. For the first time in my young life I realized what I was missing. I saw this girl my age without a care in the world. She had parents that loved her. She had dreams of becoming a doctor…and I knew she could probably act on those dreams. It didn't matter what I wanted. I didn't have a mother and father doting on me…I probably would never have a family of my own as long as I was under the servitude of Palpatine. I was the Emperor's property and he controlled my life."

Luke nodded grimly. "My Mara once told me she never thought she would marry and have children. Do you think your experience with your trainer and his family is the reason you were able to form relationships more readily?" Luke asked curious.

Mara nodded. "I am pretty sure it helped. I do know if I spent five years under Honrock's tutelage I probably would need a Force intervention to get me into a healthy relationship." She gazed at Luke. "I mean no disrespect to your wife…I admire her ability to survive and thrive after what she endured."

Luke nodded. "I think that story explains some of the differences between you and my wife." He thought for a moment, reaching back to his memory, trying to recall if his Mara experienced anything like what was just described. He looked up to Mara. "I think something like that happened to my Mara, but in her case after being flung across the room she tripped and the top of her head impacted the wall, knocking her out."

Mara nodded thoughtfully. "If she's unconscious she never runs into Vader and Honrock lives."

"It's amazing how one tiny change in a life event can make such a difference," Luke muttered thoughtfully.

He looked back to her with a curious and hopeful look on his face. "Do you have other stories about my father?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I didn't have contact with him again until I was a teenager and finished my training. Then I was officially introduced to him as the Emperor's Hand. I don't think he remembered our earlier encounter. A few times Palpatine tasked me to watch Vader…he suspected treachery, but I didn't discover anything worth reporting to the Emperor." She hesitated and gave a soft smile. "Even if I did, I'm not sure if I would have turned your father in. I was positive he saved my life as a child. It wasn't until I became convinced that you and Vader killed the Emperor that my hate for the Sith Lord truly developed."

There was along pause. Finally Luke reached over and took her hand in his. "I'm glad that things turned out better for you and it makes me happy that my father was there to help…even though I doubt that was his intention. He was probably simply killing somebody who annoyed him."

Mara nodded then chuckled. "He did that a lot."

Luke smiled then picked up his napkin and wiped his face as he finished his meal. "Would you like to go out for more dancing tonight?"

Mara shook her head. "No, I thought we could spend some quiet time together. I saw some fire rings out on the beach. Maybe we could sit out in the cabana, watching a campfire, and listen to the surf."

Luke smiled. "That sounds perfect."


	14. Chapter 14

**_Chandrila_ **

It was a warm, cloudless night on Chandrila. Luke was kneeling in the sand as he worked to start a fire on the beach. He had just gotten the embers glowing and was slowly adding wood to build up the flames. He looked back at Mara waiting for him in the beach cabana and he had to smile. She was absolutely stunning. At the moment the flames from the bonfire caused an orange-red light to reflect off of her flowing auburn hair making it look like a glowing halo. The effect gave her an otherworldly aura…as if she was his angel. His smile widened as his brilliant blue eyes slid across her shapely body. She was wearing the shorts and summer shirt he had purchased for her allowing him to get a nice view of her well-toned legs. He noticed the top two buttons of her shirt were unbuttoned exposing her arousing cleavage. This woman was testing the extent of his virtue and endurance. He didn't know how long he could hold back his overwhelming desire for her. Luke tossed a couple more pieces of wood into the fire and then stood and moved to the cabana. He bounced onto the cushioned, silk draped settee and snuggled in next to her.

"It's a beautiful night," Mara commented as her eyes raked down his body.

Luke silently chuckled to himself. She may be an irresistible temptress, but he was doing his best to entice her in return. He was wearing a pair of loose cotton shorts, but remained shirtless. Earlier in the day he had noticed that Mara liked seeing his bare chest and her hands would often roam over his pectorals and then down his abs until they reached the top of his shorts. There her hand would hesitate or occasionally she would tease him by slipping a delicate finger along the inner ring of the waistband, but would go no further. Luke closed his eyes and smiled at the thought. He was sure she had renewed her vow to kill him…but this time it would be death by sexual frustration.

But he would wait until she was ready. Already he could feel waves of desire projecting off of her and she was doing nothing to hide this intense longing…which he found odd. His Mara usually had her shields firmly in place—that was until their Force bonding on Nirauan—then it became almost impossible to keep things from each other. Luke wondered if that was happening now. Was a bond forming between them?

"It _is_ a beautiful night," Luke agreed with her. "But not as beautiful as you."

Mara laughed softly. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Jedi Grand Master Skywalker."

Luke smirked. "I hope so."

Mara rolled to her side and slid a hand down his chest. "You intensified your workout routine while at the Academy I see."

"A Jedi has to be in shape to face Sith, warlords and beautiful former Emperor's Hands."

"I like it," she said seductively.

"I've noticed. I may never wear my shirt again," Luke joked.

"The young female Jedi apprentices will surely appreciate that," Mara whispered.

"Well then, I guess I should wear a shirt at the Academy. I don't want to distract my students. You're the only person I want to distract."

She smiled warmly. "You are a _very_ big distraction."

"As I said, shock and awe," Luke joked as he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. They sat quietly for a few moments watching the fire and listening to the ocean. One of the planet's two moons was overhead and the light reflecting off the water made beautiful shimmering patterns on the waves. Luke thought he had never seen such a perfect night. There was no war going on, no politicians demanding the help of the Jedi…it was just Luke and Mara at peace enjoying the tranquility of a beautiful planet.

He looked down and gazed deeply into her emerald eyes. "Are you happy?" he asked.

Her smile widened. "I am. I don't think I've ever been happier."

"Good," Luke said as he slowly lowered his head to give her a warm kiss. "No plans on ditching me when we get to Coruscant?" he asked half-jokingly.

She smirked. "Farmboy if you keep this up you might actually convince me to follow you back to that dank jungle moon of yours."

Luke's smile brightened considerably. "Are you thinking of becoming a Jedi or are you just going to go there to watch me do my kata training exercises shirtless?"

She ran her hand over his smooth chest again, making Luke shiver in almost sensual delight. "Maybe I'll do both," she teased as she leaned down and kissed his chest muscles. Luke closed his eyes and gave out a low groan. "Mara, you're killing me."

She laughed as she pulled away. "You're the one who decided to torment me with your manly naked torso."

"I could put a shirt on," he offered with a grin.

She gave a playful smack on his belly. "You better not. I like the view."

His grin turned serious for a moment. "Mara, I don't want you to think you need to become a Jedi for us to be together. I'm considering moving the Academy to Coruscant. Leia told me Karrde's operations are based there now that he went legit…you'd be able to keep your job and we could be together."

Her eyes widened. "You'd do that for me?"

He gave a light shrug. "Not _just_ for personal reasons. My wife once lectured me about the stupidity of leaving the Jedi Academy located on a world that was once a Sith stronghold. Now that I'm older and wiser…I thought I would start taking her advice."

Mara laughed. "I have a feeling she became a Jedi just to keep your butt out of trouble."

Luke nodded. "I think so too. Even after she died she was giving me guidance."

Mara cocked her head to the side. "Oh, how so?"

Luke gave a sad reminiscent smile. "The first time was shortly after she died. She had already appeared to Ben, which I had mixed feelings about at first. I guess she thought Ben needed her more. But one night I was out feeling sorry for myself and she appeared. She was a bluish ghostly apparition. I reached out for her, but my hands slipped through her form. I wanted to touch her, to feel her warmth once again, but that wasn't possible." He stopped and bit down on his lower lip as he tried to steady his voice. "She came to talk to me…to help me through my difficult times."

"What did she say?" Mara was wide-eyed.

He gave Mara a wane smile. "She said she loved me and she was sorry she went to face Ja…to fight a Sith Lord without my help. She made me promise I would always love and protect Ben." Luke's voice became thick as a flood of emotions began to overwhelm him. "She told me not to give up hope, that light would come out of the greatest darkness. Only when it looked like all is lost would there be enough resolve to overcome the darkside. She then said not to worry about her. She was one with the Force and in good hands." Luke looked over to Mara and smiled. "She faded away then. I assume she meant my old Masters and my father were there to help her on her journey to the netherworld." Luke tried to gauge Mara's reaction to the story. He realized hearing about a dead Mara Jade in another realm…or that he dreamed her death…had to be a surreal situation to the beautiful trader, but Mara simply nodded sympathetically and urged him to continue.

"You said that was the first time?"

Luke took a deep breath and then let it out. "That was the only time I saw her as a Force ghost. The other two times we talked was at the Lake of Apparitions, which is located in a Force realm called Beyond Shadows. The surface of the lake was called the Mirror of Remembrances and there you could talk to the spirits of lost loved ones."

"What guidance did she give you then?" Mara asked softly.

Luke had to chuckle. "She told me the ethereal presence I sensed on her ship…a spirit who I thought was her…whose ghostly hands would caress me lovingly as I drifted to sleep…was not her at all."

Mara's eyes went wide. "What?"

Luke shook his head embarrassed. "Yes, my dear departed wife had to tell me I was being sexually harassed by a phantom molester."

Mara bit her bottom lip and tried not to laugh. "Luke, you're so sexy you excite dead women." She gave him a coy look. "It _was_ a woman, wasn't it?" she said and then started laughing again.

"I think it was a woman at one time," he said sheepishly. "And please don't joke about me and dead women. I've sworn off them decades ago."

Mara gave him a questioning look, but then she realized what he was referring to. "Oh Callista," she laughed as she ran her hands over his body again. "Well, I can't blame them. You _are_ irresistible."

"Thanks," he said as he leaned in and kissed her softly. She responded by moving closer to him until their bodies were pressed together in an intimate embrace. Luke trembled at her touch as he reached out to explore her body. He made a line of kisses down her neck and she moaned as an aching wave of passion flooded over him through the Force. His breathing became more rapid as he realized this overpowering desire he felt was not just coming from him, but was being projected through the Force from Mara as well. A Force bond was definitely forming between them. It wasn't the type that let him see her memories, but he could feel her desire and cravings like they were his own. He jolted when he heard a soft voice within his head whisper ' _I want you'_.

Mara pulled back from him when she saw him startle. "Is something wrong?"

"Can you feel it Mara? A connection between us?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yes, I can sense your desire through the Force…I can also feel your desire pressing against me," she chuckled.

He looked down at his shorts and blushed slightly. "It's been four years since I've made love to you."

Mara looked at him hungrily. "That's easily resolved. Maybe we should bring these activities indoors."

Luke froze for a second, his heart beating wildly. Suddenly he jumped up and quickly grabbed Mara up in his arms and started walking across the sand towards the house. Mara gave a small cry of pleasure before Luke silenced her with a wild passionate kiss. It wasn't until they were inside that he lowered her feet to the ground. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" He asked and prayed she wouldn't change her mind.

She responded by wrapping her hands seductively around the back of his head and pulling him in for a long impassioned kiss. Luke took that as a definite _yes_. He started maneuvering toward his bedroom without removing his lips from hers. At one point they tripped over each other's feet and fell against the hallway wall. Luke continued to kiss her hungrily as he lifted one of her legs to wrap it around his waist. Using the wall to support them, he pushed against her allowing the evidence of his arousal to press firmly against her.

"The bed," Mara urged him, their lips breaking contact long enough for her to mutter the two words.

Luke was fumbling for the door access panel when he heard a mechanical voice behind him.

"Master Skywalker you received a message…" Mon Mothma's protocol droid stopped in midsentence. "I am so sorry, Sir. It was not my intention to interrupt your human pre-mating ritual."

Luke froze and cursed his luck. "What is it?" he asked tersely as he slowly detangled himself from Mara's ardent embrace.

"Chief of State Leia Organa-Solo called earlier and requested that you contact her as soon as possible."

Luke sighed. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome, Sir." The droid made a small bow with his head and then turn and left.

Luke turned to Mara who gave a small chuckle. "Why is there always a droid around us acting as chaperone?"

"I don't know." He gave her a heated look and kissed her again, fully intending not to let the moment be lost.

She pulled away from him slightly. "What about your sister? It might be important. And I know I won't have your full attention if your mind is wandering off elsewhere."

Luke groaned. He wanted to make love to this woman now, but his sister had sent out expeditions to search for the Vong. She might have news of the aliens. "I'll give her a quick call and then we will have all night together," Luke promised as he gently kissed her on the lips.

"Okay," Mara said with a smile.

Luke went into his room and picked up his bathrobe off his bed and put it on. He then went over and sat in front of the room's Comm Unit. He noticed Mara had entered but sat in a chair out of view of the Holocam.

Luke punched in the code for his sister's home and waited for a connection. It didn't take long before Han showed up over the screen. "Hey kid, thanks for calling back. Leia wanted to talk to you about the probe droids findings." Han looked over his shoulder and called out. "Leia, your brother's on the comm." He then turned back to the screen and practically leered at Luke. "So you and Mara are cozying up at Mon Mothma's beach house. Atta boy Luke!"

Luke shook his head guiltily. He knew he was going to get a ribbing when he asked to use the beach house. "We've been having a wonderful time," Luke admitted.

Han grinned. "I'll bet. Are there sharks in those waters? It looks like something has been nibbling on your neck."

Luke moved his hand up to his neck self-consciously. Mara must have gotten a little too zealous with her kisses. Luke pulled the collar of his bathrobe up and tighter around his neck. "The wildlife can be a little aggressive in these parts," Luke said with a grin as he heard a muffled chuckle coming from Mara's location.

Han just gave a lopsided smirk as Leia came up behind him. "Here's your sister now," Han said as he gave up his seat to his wife. "It's nice to see you in a good mood, Luke."

Leia sat down and beamed at Luke before her smile dipped and she gave him a look of concern. "Luke, are you all right? You look flushed. Are you coming down with something?"

' _Yeah, I'm coming down with a bad case of involuntary celibacy_ ,' Luke thought sarcastically, but he gave his sister a winning smile and shook his head. "No, I just got a little sunburned at the beach, that's all."

Leia stared him for a moment skeptically, but then she picked up a datapad and pressed some buttons. "I thought you would want to know the reports from the probe droids we sent out as soon as they came in. One droid went out to Nirauan. It couldn't find the five-towered fortress you called the Hand of Thrawn anywhere in the vicinity described. Although it was difficult, the NR was able to make contact with Soontir Fel and his wife Syal we did find them alive and well and raising a family among the Chiss, but they didn't know about any impending danger coming from the unknown regions." Leia looked up at the monitor. "There was also no sign of any alien activity on Helska IV. An expedition went to Ziost, but they couldn't locate the Sith meditation sphere or "Ship." She looked up at her brother, "But to be honest, with a craft that size it could be hiding anywhere." Leia put down the datapad, "The list goes on. Nothing checked out. None of the enemies you remember exist…at least at this time."

Luke nodded, not knowing if he should feel relieved or saddened. It looked more and more possible that Cilghal's hypothesis was true; his thirty years of memories were a Waru-induced illusion. He was glad the galaxy would not have to face the horrors he imagined, but his heart wanted to hang on to some hope that Ben had once existed or would exist.

"I guess that's good news," he said as he gave Leia a bittersweet smile, but then noticed something in her demeanor…she was hiding something.

"You're not telling me everything," he said accusingly. "What is it?"

Leia's shoulders slumped as she gave out a small sigh. "There is one thing we did find," she said hesitantly.

He could see concern in his sister's eyes. "What is it?"

"Since you didn't know the location of the Sith world of Kesh the New Republic decided to send out probes to the planets located within the Styglan Caldera."

Luke stiffened. The Styglan Caldera was the location of the old Sith Empire. The vast Sith realm disappeared over a thousand years before Luke was born, but the area still reeked of the darkside and was home to Korriban and other Sith strongholds.

"Did the probes find Kesh? _"_ Luke asked anxiously. He didn't savor the thought of facing down a planet full of Sith.

"No, but on the planet Jaguada one of our probe droids found Waru."

"What?" Luke murmured. His stomach fell. He was finally adjusting to his new reality and now the opportunity to possibly return to Ben had presented itself.

"What are you going to do Luke?" Leia asked him apprehensively.

Luke looked over to Mara who was standing out of the camera's view. She was obviously trying to keep her face impassive, but he could feel her churning emotions.

He looked back to his sister. "I don't know. I really don't know."


	15. Chapter 15

**_Chandrila_ **

After exchanging some pleasantries Luke said his goodbyes to his sister and turned off the transmitter. He turned to face Mara. Her eyes were wide with dread. "You're going aren't you?" Her voice was thick with emotion as she rose to her feet.

Luke looked down at the floor and gave a pained sigh. "I have to."

He could see Mara's body stiffen. "No you don't!"

Luke's head drooped dejectedly. The only thing in the universe that could pull him away from Mara was Ben. If the last thirty years wasn't a dream, then Ben needed him. Luke gazed up at Mara and his stomach fell when he saw the heartbroken expression on her face. He slowly walked over to her taking her hands in his and gave her a pleading look. "Mara, it could be a way back to my son."

She pulled away from him. "What if it was a dream? You could get lost in Waru and I'll never see you again."

"Mara, if I don't try to find out what happened it will always haunt me. I can't live with that guilt."

"What about me!" Mara snapped back, her eyes brimming with tears. "Did you ever for a nanosecond think of how this is going to affect me? You spent almost two weeks courting and seducing me. And when I finally fall in love with you and then you decide to up and leave!"

That comment stopped Luke cold. "You're in love with me?"

Mara just glared at him. "Does that actually surprise you? You exploited all my weaknesses. You knew what to say and do to impress me. You battered down my defenses until you captured my heart. And now you want to walk away."

"Oh Mara," Luke groaned sadly as he wrapped her up in a warm embrace. "I love you Mara, but we're talking about Ben. I promised my wife I'd always protect him." He broke away momentarily so he could look her in the eyes. "Mara, could you love a man who would willingly abandon his son?"

She pulled away not answering.

"Let me put it this way. If I were faced with a decision of saving you or a child of ours…which would you want me to save?"

She crossed her arms across her chest and refused to look at him. "Our son," she muttered with some unwillingness.

He pulled her into his arms and held her close. "Mara I love you dearly, but there may be a young man out there missing his father and he now has to face a world of Sith and a dark force entity alone. I can't abandon him."

"But if it was a dream, how would you know once you are inside Waru if what you are experiencing is real or not?" Mara asked.

"I don't know. Maybe I need to look for things that couldn't possibly exist in reality."

Mara gently pushed him away so she could face him again. "First of all from what you told me your alternate dimension was so screwed up any bizarre occurrence could happen. Second, if you do realize you are dreaming, how are you going to get back to me?"

Luke experienced a pang of uncertainty. How was he going to pull this off? "I need time to think about this. There must be a way."

"I don't want to be separated from you." She said giving him a determined look. "Let's go into Waru together."

Luke looked at her in stunned disbelief. "You'd do that?"

She shrugged. "It's not like I have a huge family holding me here in this reality."

Luke shook his head ruefully. "Where I came from was a nightmare of evil."

"That's more reason for me to go," she said defiantly.

"What about Ben?" Luke asked with a vague sense of unease. If Mara did come back with him how would Ben handle the situation?

"You'll be with him," she pointed out.

Uncertainty crossed his face. "Yes, I'll be there with you his once dead mother." He gave her an unsure smile. "I am not sure how he'd react to me showing up with a younger version of his late mom. He's a teenager. He's not going to want his mother replaced."

She gave him a knowing look. "Oh, but you are more than willing to replace your wife with me."

"That's not true," Luke objected.

"Yes it _is_ true." She gave him a hard look. "Luke the only reason that you would want to go back into Waru was because you believe you might have crossed dimensions. And if you're right, then you _are_ trying to replace your dead wife with me."

Luke heaved a frustrated sigh not wanting to argue the point. "I can see you making that argument if my wife recently died and I invented a trans-dimensional transportation mechanism for the sole purpose of fetching another copy of you for my bed. But I didn't. I grieved for my late wife for years. I never looked at another woman. I never intended to marry again. She was my one and only true love until something happened and I ended up here. He paused in thought. "It's almost like the Force didn't believe I should be without you…like her death was a mistake…and this is a way to make it right."

She stared at him accusingly. "Are you telling me your son wouldn't be happy to have his mother back in any form?"

Luke shrugged not knowing the answer. "I don't know, but think about what you said… _in any form_."

Mara looked at him confused. "So?"

"Mara there is no body for you to go to in 44 ABY. You died and your corporal form disappeared as you became one with the Force. Where would your Force essence go? You'd have to occupy somebody else's body."

Mara's eyes narrowed and she sneered at Luke. "I'm no bodysnatcher! And that's a low blow. You know how much I disliked that entire Cray/Callista situation."

He shrugged with his palms up. "If you step into Waru you may die. I can't let you do it." His mood turned more somber. "There is another thing that has been bothering me about the alternate dimension scenario."

"What's that?"

"Mara, if I did slide into an alternate reality, where is your Luke Skywalker? Did you ever think about that? I may have switched places with the younger Luke. He doesn't deserve to have thirty years cut off his life…he deserves a chance to love, to be with you."

She shook her head and gestured in a sad way. "But he's _not_ you. You're the one I fell in love with."

"But he _will_ be me when he gets more mature." he argued.

"Even if you two are very similar, it doesn't mean he'll want to be with me," Mara countered. "He's already ignored me for years."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Put on that bikini I gave you and ask him if he wants to be your boyfriend. I guarantee he'll want to be with you."

Despite her anger she chuckled softly at his comment, she then cocked up an eyebrow. "Force Luke, if you switched with a younger Skywalker does that mean he's been stuck raising a teenager?"

Luke guffawed. "Stang, all the Jedi training in the world couldn't prepare him for that." He sat down to contemplate the situation. After a moment an idea came to him. "I think I know a way to figure out what's going on before I make any major decisions."

She folded her arms across her chest. "And how are you going to do that?"

"I reconnoiter Waru using a harness and pulley system. I go in tied to a cable and have Artoo activate a winch to pull me out of Waru. A few seconds inside may be perceived as weeks to me. In that time I figure out if I am in an alternate reality or dreaming. I come back to you and then we decide what I am going to do."

"That sounds like a stupid plan," Mara grumbled.

"Do you have a better idea?" Luke asked.

"Other than forgetting about Waru and instead having hot passionate sex all night…no, I don't," she said sarcastically.

Luke's head dropped. "I'm sorry, but I need to see Waru. Mara, it'll be all right. The Force is with us." He hugged her gently as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. He could sense the feeling of abject despair rolling off the beautiful woman in his arms and his heart clenched with the knowledge that he was totally responsible for her pain. He realized the mood had taken a somber turn and they both needed time to think. He turned her toward his door intending on walking Mara to her room.

"No," Mara said when she realized his intentions. "I don't want to be alone tonight." She looked up at him sadly. "Hold me. Please. I need to be held tonight."

He nodded sadly as he embraced her and they moved to the bed, still wearing their clothing from the beach. "I can do that. I can hold you all night."

.

.

.

Luke didn't know how many hours passed since he and Mara went to sleep, but he did know something startled him awake. He was holding Mara; her back rested against his chest, his arms wrapped tenderly around her waist. He reached out with his Force awareness but didn't sense anyone in the vicinity. Suddenly he became aware that Mara was shuddering in his arms and he could hear soft muffled sobs.

"Mara, are you crying?" he whispered in her ear.

There was a short pause before she answered with a quaking voice. "I don't cry."

The sound of her sorrow broke his heart. When he began his campaign to court Mara and win her love he never thought he would be faced with the decision to leave. He would have never put her through such emotional turmoil if he thought there was any chance of returning to his son. He pulled her close and hugged her tightly as unshed tears stung his eyes. "I am so sorry Mara. I never meant to hurt you like this."

She turned in bed so she could face him. There was enough moonlight spilling in from the window for Luke to see her face. She had been crying; her eyes were bloodshot and troubled. She took a shuddered breath and tried to calm herself. "I know you didn't do this on purpose, Luke. And you're right, the man I fell in love with couldn't stay here when his son might be in danger. You have always been selfless with your love. You risk your life in the aid of friends and comrades with no reservation. Even when I swore to kill you, you didn't hesitate to save my life on Myrkr or Wayland. You even snuck aboard a Star Destroyer to save Karrde…just because I asked you. You are the most self-sacrificing and noble man I know and I am honored to have known you and loved you."

Luke didn't know how to respond. This sounded like a goodbye speech and that made his heart sink. "Thank you," he finally said hesitantly. He thought her next words were going to be goodbye, but he was shocked when she pulled him close and kissed him tenderly. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and returned the kiss.

She pulled away from him and regarded him quietly for a moment. "Make love to me," she finally said.

Luke's heart leapt in his chest, but this didn't feel right. "Mara, we shouldn't rush things knowing I may be gone. We should sleep on it. We will have a few more days together on the trip back to Coruscant."

She shook her head. "I want this to happen and not in a cramped uncomfortable shuttle. I don't want to feel like were a couple of teenagers making out in the backseat of your father's speeder."

Luke chuckled softly. "Probably not _my_ father's speeder. I can't see Vader letting me borrow the ignition passkey."

In the moonlight he could see her smile weakly. "You know what I mean. I want our first time to be in a beautiful beach house along the shore of the Silver Sea. I want to have this memory. I don't want any regrets. I have too many of those in my life."

"Oh Mara," Luke breathed as his trembling hands wrapped around her waist. He gazed deeply into her green soulful eyes. "If we do this and I have to leave…it would make our parting more painful for both of us."

Mara shook her head. "I would rather suffer the pain of loss, than the pain of regret." She laid her head on his chest and he brought his hand up to caress her hair. "All my life I pushed people away. I hid from love, from life," she looked into his eyes, "I finally fell in love. I fell in love with you. Please don't push me away…even if it's for my own good."

"Mara…," Luke trailed off not knowing what to say. He loved her and wanted her but their future was so uncertain.

Mara closed her eyes tightly looking exasperated. "Luke, I know are looking out for my best interests, but believe me, this is not the time to revert to shy Farmboy. Time is not a luxury we have. I want this to happen." She pulled herself out of his embrace long enough to remove her clothing. Tossing her garments aside she gave him an imploring look. "I want to make love to the Jedi Grand Master, so if he is still inside that sexy body can you please tell him to strip and get over here."

Luke was caught off guard for a moment. For the last week he had been the brash pursuer, but now the roles had reversed. "Okay," he said slowly. "If that's what you truly want." He gave her a shy smile as he removed his shorts. As he lay nude before her he suddenly felt a little self-conscious. He had seen his Mara unclothed thousands of times over the span of twenty years, but this was a first time this beautiful woman had seen his totally exposed form and as with all first times there was always that nervous moment when you weren't sure if you would meet your partner's expectations.

Mara smiled brazenly as she ran her hand over his shoulders. "Gods, if I knew what was under your clothing on Myrkr I would have insisted on strip searching you after your capture."

Luke gave a relieved chuckle. He reached up to brush a strand of her silken red hair away from her eyes. "I wish you did. We may have gotten together years ago. Every minute I went without you was wasted time."

"See, regrets," she said softly. "No more regrets. Not this time." Her eyes lingered on his face as her hands started moving from his shoulders and down his toned body. This time there was no waistband to halt her progress and Luke gasped in pleasure as she gave him an intimate caress.

She moved closer to him, nuzzling his neck and bringing her mouth close to his ear. "Do you still want to wait?" she asked breathlessly and with a hint of mirth.

"Gods no!" he moaned as he rolled to his side and pressed himself against her warm naked flesh. He kissed her hungrily, his eyes glowing with unconcealed joy and pleasure. "Mara," he moaned against her lips. "Tell me what you want."

She pulled away from him looking slightly confused. "I think it is obvious what I want Luke, I thought you had twenty years of practice knowing what I want," she said with a soft laugh.

"That's what I mean," Luke said uneasily. "I've been with you thousands of times, I know exactly what you like…and…um some of the things you prefer are a little intimate for a first time sexual encounter…and this is your first time with me. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

She stared at him in puzzled disbelief. "Something more intimate than sex? What exactly did I like that has you so embarrassed?"

Luke blushed, uncomfortable with the conversation. "Well, there is this thing you would ask me to do," Luke paused unable to say the words out loud. He leaned over and whispered into her ear. Mara listened intently and then laughed.

"I can see why you wouldn't want to surprise me with that." She turned to him with a smirk. "What else did you two do?"

Luke whispered in her ear again and Mara responded with a hoot. "Gods Luke, you and your Mara were kinky."

Luke had to laugh. "If you like that then you'll love this." He whispered in her ear again and Mara looked over at him in utter shock. "No! That's physically impossible!"

Luke laughed. "Not when the Force is your ally."

Mara burst into hysterical laughter. When she finally caught her breath she turned to him and smiled. "I'll give you a break Farmboy. Why don't we start with the basics and we can progress from there."

Luke nodded with a warm smile, happy that some of the tension was broken. He leaned in and kissed her tenderly. He could feel her smile under his lips as she brought her hands behind his head and pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss. After a moment he had to break a way for a breath. He kissed a line from the corner of her lips to her cheek and down her neck. He paid special attention to that area where her neck met her shoulder. He knew that was a sensitive part of her body. She moaned in delight as he nuzzled her neck and then moved down her body, gently kissing and occasionally nibbling at her skin until the anticipation was too much for her and she begged him to take her. He slowly moved his body over hers preparing for the moment he could only dream about in the last four years. When their bodies finally joined, Mara gasped and dug her fingers into his back. Luke paused, laying his head on her shoulder and savoring the feel of her warmth.

"Don't stop," she whispered in the dark as she rocked her body to urge him on. He began to move and she hugged him convulsively as they fell into wondrous rhythm. Their bond grew stronger and stronger until the combination of physical and emotional intimacy was too much. As the last wonderful, shuddering moments came upon them simultaneously Luke and Mara finally became one in body and soul.


	16. Chapter 16

**_Chandrila_ **

Morning found Luke languidly stretching in bed, his body sore and aching from exhausting muscles he hadn't used for years. A smile spread across his face as he recalled his incredible night of passion with Mara Jade; they clung to each other throughout the night, their bodies intertwined, rocking against each other with desperate urgency until they would reach the climax of their passion. They'd collapse on the bed breathless and weak, their sensual cravings momentarily sated as they drifted off asleep—only to waken hours later to repeat their earlier activities.

Although the lovemaking was incredible Mara's openness through the Force astonished Luke. Their Force essences intermingled; thoughts and emotions were shared openly and eagerly. Their connection multiplied their pleasure beyond measure. It was amazing and it was something he only experienced with one woman…Mara Jade. If he had dreamt up the last 30 years he was astonishingly accurate as to what making love to this woman would be like. But, as wonderful at the night was, it made his decision to return to Waru all that more difficult.

He rolled over and ran a caressing hand down Mara's side.

"Sleep, Luke, I need sleep. You kept me up all night," she moaned happily.

"I just wanted to know when we are scheduled to leave." he said.

"Not until midday."

Luke smiled as he slid closer to her. "Good. I want to spend more time with you." He kissed the back of her neck. "You were incredible last night."

Mara rolled over to look at him. Her long red hair was a tangled mess and her eyes were only half open from lack of sleep, but to him she was the most beautiful woman in the galaxy. "You were truly awe-inspiring," she said with a chuckle. "I've never experienced anything like that before. The closeness, the sharing of emotions…is that what your Force bond was like with your wife?"

Luke smiled. "The bond I had with my wife was much more powerful…but I believe, given time, our bond will grow and strengthen."

Mara's eyes went wide. "You mean it can get more intense?" Mara chuckled. "Force Luke, how did you and your wife ever get anything done? If I were her I would keep you so occupied making love you wouldn't have time for Sith."

"Unfortunately Sith rarely respected the _Do Not Disturb_ sign on our door." He leaned over and kissed her. "I think this type of bond is better. The bond I had with my wife allowed me to peer into her past, see her childhood, her highest and lowest moments, things most people would rather keep personal—and she was able to see all of my history. From the time of our bonding we could communicate with each other mentally and feel each other's emotions." He hesitated in thought. "I can feel your emotions and I sometimes hear your thoughts, but our pasts remain private."

She smiled. "I think that is better also. I can go the rest of my life without visualizing you in bed with the bodysn…Callista."

Luke chuckled but didn't comment on Mara's almost-reference to Callista's infamous moniker. Luke had heard them all, to include the bodysnatcher, Force reanimated corpse, the computerized cradle-robber, or the Force-void. If he had a choice he wouldn't have the memories of that doomed relationship floating around his head either. "I think a little mystery is best for a relationship," Luke finally said.

Mara gave him a sad smile. "I hope we get the time to strengthen our bond."

He nodded. "I hope so too." He sat up in bed and reached to the side table for the comlink to the kitchen. "Would you like me to order up breakfast?"

She shook her head. "Not right now. I think I will have a bubble bath before we leave," she said as she rolled out of bed. As she stood before him nude he felt a hot pang of arousal run through him. Mara found Luke's bathrobe lying on the dresser and slipped it on. She glanced over to Luke and smiled. "The tub is big enough for two. Would you like to join me? Maybe you can give me one of your sensual massages afterwards."

He looked at her lovingly. "I would love to."

.

.

.

**_Coruscant_ **

They arrived to Coruscant two days later. Mara docked the shuttle with the _Wilde Karrde_ and immediately requested a leave of absence from her boss, Talon Karrde. She expected questions from her employer, but the information broker appeared to know the entire situation between Mara and Luke. He told her to take as much time as she needed. Chin then piloted them down planetside and Luke and Mara took refuge in Luke's small apartment in the Imperial Palace so they could plan his mission.

Luke was currently on the HoloNet doing research on Waru, trans-dimensional travel, and any other subject he could think of that could possibly help.

Mara was lounging on his bed wearing Luke's sleep shirt and looking extremely bored. She rolled over on the mattress to gaze at the Jedi. "Did you find anything yet?" she asked already knowing the answer. She was sure Luke had done this search a thousand times in the week after he was pulled from Waru.

Luke shook his head in frustration. "I've tried every search engine and search words but I come up empty. Nobody seems to know anything about Waru other than unsubstantiated rumors."

"Did you use the search words _blob-like creature with time traveling, trans-dimensional bowels_?" Mara snickered.

Luke gave her a queasy shudder. "Mara, since I was breathing its internal fluids I'd rather not entertain the idea that I was swimming around in its colon."

She laughed and then rolled out of bed and walked up behind Luke to massage his shoulders. "You have a lot of tension in your muscles," she said as she dropped her head down to nuzzle his neck.

Luke gave out a low groan of pleasure. "That feels good…and I know what you're doing Mara."

She gave him an innocent look. "And what is that?"

He gave her a small, weary smile. "You are trying make so tired by doing bedroom aerobics that I won't have the will nor the energy to get out of bed and go see Waru."

Mara frowned. "I guess I can't pull one over on a Jedi Grand Master." She walked back to the bed and sat on one corner of the mattress. "Face it Luke, if you are going in, you're going in blind. There's a lot of risk in the unknown."

Luke stood up and rolled his neck trying to get out the kinks. He walked over to Mara and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I think my cable and hoist system is probably the best bet. Leia is trying to scrounge me up a ship that can safely fly through dangerous hyperspace lanes to the Styglan Caldera. I will hook up a cable winch to the ship and get Artoo to work it."

Mara shook her head adamantly. "No way, I'm going with you to Jaguada."

"Mara it'll be dangerous," Luke said.

She rolled her eyes. "Luke I didn't see you complaining about the danger when we were on Wayland trying to break into a heavily guarded Imperial stronghold. I am not a helpless and delicate socialite…I'm a trained assassin and you shouldn't forget that. I'm going and that's it."

"Fine," Luke mumbled. "I could never win an argument with my wife, why should life be different now." Luke glanced over toward the door a second before the entry indicator chimed. He frowned slightly. "It's my sister and Han."

"Oh kriff," Mara jumped off the bed began searching the floor for her clothing. She snatched up her underwear and pants and slipped into them as she frantically looked around for her tunic. "Where's my top?"

Luke grinned. "It could be anywhere. If I recall correctly you started taking your clothes off as soon as we entered my apartment."

"I did not," Mara objected. "Luke, I can't be seen wearing your clothing," she said while looking down at his sleep shirt.

Luke shrugged. "Why not? They know we're a couple and I am sure our performance last night woke up every Force-sensitive within the palace."

Mara blushed as she followed him to the door. "Do you think people can pick up our thoughts?"

Luke smirked. "Not normally, but when you start projecting ' _More, Luke, more!'_ I really doubt anybody thought we were in the gym sparring."

She gave him a good-natured slap on the shoulder. "Those weren't my thoughts!"

Luke smirked, "Oh that's right, you were saying, ' _Use the Force, Luke!_ '"

Mara groaned. "Okay, I may have been thinking that, but you should have told me I was projecting through the Force."

"Sorry, I was a little busy trying to please you." He gave her a grin as he bent down and retrieved her shoes off the floor and handed them to her. "You _are_ insatiable. I had to draw upon the Force to keep going." He reached down and found her shirt near the front door and handed it to Mara. "I think this belongs to you. And you're right. You were at least a meter into the apartment before you began your impromptu striptease."

"Shut up," Mara moaned as she tossed her wayward clothing into the entryway closet. "It's your fault anyway; you were putting erotic images into my mind during the skytaxi ride here." She shook her head looking mortified. "I can't face your sister."

Luke smiled. "Don't worry, Leia's not going to comment on anything she sensed in the Force." He opened the door for his sister and Han. When Leia spotted Mara wearing Luke's sleep shirt she blushed fiercely. Han on the other hand had a wide smirk on his face. In that instant Luke realized his sister did sense his midnight sexual escapades and told Han…who, by his expression, probably wanted to know all the details.

"Come on in," Luke said as he stood aside to let them enter.

Leia kept her composure and gave Mara a cordial nod of the head. "It's nice to see you again Mara."

Mara nodded red-faced. "Leia, Han."

Leia didn't take long to get to business. "Luke your plan to go back into Waru is suicidal. I can't let you do it." Her voice was stern like a mother lecturing her child.

Luke shook his head. "Sorry Leia, it is something I need to do. If you won't help me by getting a ship that can travel to that region safely…I'll just take a rented shuttle and that would be more dangerous."

She grimaced in frustration. "I am acting Chief of State…I could ground you. Refuse to allow ship clearance."

Luke gave her a warm smile. "You could, but you won't. You know I have to do this."

As tears formed in Leia's eyes she turned to Mara and gave her an imploring look. "Can't you talk him out of this dangerous undertaking?"

Mara sighed sadly. "Leia, I have been doing everything physically possible to persuade him to stay."

Han gave an amused snort at that comment but then tried to conceal his laughter by coughing. "Sorry, something in my throat."

Leia's eyes looked stricken as she handed Luke a ship keycard and small datapad. "I found you a ship. It's in docking bay 49, the information is on the datapad."

Luke smiled and gave his sister a warm embrace. Leia had tears running down her face. "Be careful. I don't want to lose you."

"Don't worry Leia, I think I have a plan that will minimize the danger and Mara's coming with me. She has my back."

"And your front," Han mumbled under his breath.

Leia pulled away from her brother and glared at her husband. "You're not being helpful Han." She turned back to Luke. "You two come to see us before you go."

Luke gave her a warm reassuring smile. "We will. I promise."

Leia gave a stiff nod and then turned to leave. Han followed behind her but not before giving a backwards glance at Mara and Luke and giving the couple a thumbs-up.

"Great," Mara grumbled as the door closed. "Han is the biggest loud mouth in the galaxy. I'm sure he talked to Karrde before we returned. It's no wonder Talon didn't ask me any questions when I asked for some time off."

Luke laughed. "So what, they know we're having sex. We're not sixteen and they aren't our parents. I don't care if the entire world knows." He grabbed her up in his arms and kissed her ardently, giving her a soft smile when they parted. "Come on, let's go buy a winch and cable so we can get this over with."

.

.

.

**_Outer Rim_ **

The armored shuttle reverted to real space near the junction of the Perlemian Trade Route and an old hyperspace route called the Daragon Trail. The Daragon Trail would bring them past Korriban and into Sith Space deep within the Stygian Caldera and eventually to the planet Jaguada—the last known location of Waru. Luke and Mara were flying the _Rakkaus_ a state-of-the-art freighter especially designed to navigate uncharted hyperspace routes. It was similar to Luke's old ship the _Jedi Explorer_ but with a larger passenger capacity than his old two-seater ship.

Luke plotted the coordinates for their last hyperspace jump. As he activated the hyperdrive Mara's stomach dropped. Luke thought he had the perfect plan to reconnoiter the interior of Waru without endangering his existence in this reality, but Mara was not so sure. Nobody understood Waru and how the creature existed in multiple dimensions. Luke was working on gut instincts and no facts and she didn't like it one bit.

She shook her head depressed. They would be to Jaguada by the end of the next sleep cycle. This could be her last day with Luke. She looked over to the Jedi. He was looking out at the hyperspace lines with a furrowed brow and she could feel the conflict within him. He loved her and he loved his son. He needed to find out the truth…even if it killed him.

He turned to her and smiled. "It's going to be alright. My plan will work."

She nodded forlornly. She knew she should trust him. He had the knowledge of a Jedi Grand Master, but he still had the reckless bravado of the thirty-year-old Luke Skywalker she'd always known.

Luke unfastened his crash webbing and stood. "Do you want me to make you dinner?"

She shook her head. "I don't feel like eating." She thought she had finally accepted his decision, but as they neared the planet she began to feel more and more conflicted. She looked up to him with pleading eyes. "Please don't do this."

Luke frowned. "We've talked about this. If my son is there I need to help him. He can't take on a world of Sith and a dark Force entity alone."

She stood and embraced him. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Luke gave a faint smile. "You sound like Han."

"When he would say that…did it turn out he was right?" she asked quietly.

Luke's smile dropped from his face. "Yeah…he was usually right."

She stood on her toes and brought her lips to his. It was a tender, passionate kiss, but she wanted so much more.

"Luke, this might be our last night together."

"Don't say that," Luke said sadly.

"You know it is possible. I want to spend every minute from now until we reach Jaguada in your arms."

"I would like that also." He gave her a kiss on the lips as they walked into the ship's lone cabin.

.

.

.

**_Styglan Caldera_ **

They came out of hyperspace near Jaguada early the next day. After a short time in real space Luke navigated the ship into Jaguada's atmosphere and moved to the location where the probe droid had last seen Waru. They flew over the arid planet silently. Luke knew Mara was upset. She finally opened her heart to him and now he was possibly going to disappear from her life. He didn't look forward to the prospect, but he needed to know. He could never forgive himself if he didn't try to contact his son if given the opportunity.

After watching the security videos from Crseih Station he realized he was inside Waru a lot longer than Han and Leia had believed. He was inside approximately two minutes. If two minutes equaled approximately 30 standard years of alternate reality he figured if he went into Waru for only a second or two it should give him enough time to find Ben and figure out if he was dealing with an alternate reality or a fantasy. Once he knew the situation he could make a decision as to his future. Would he go to live out the remainder of his life with his son or stay with Mara? It was a decision he couldn't make without knowing the truth.

He had purchased a full body harness used by skyscraper construction workers with a snap hook locking-ring between his shoulder blades. He planned on fastening himself up to a cable attached to the ship's power winch. Once he walked into Waru Mara would immediately activate the hoist and pull him out. If his calculations were right a one second walk into the alternate dimension should feel like less than a week.

In the distance he could make out the blob-like Waru, his golden body plates gleaming in the planet's harsh sun. Luke maneuvered the shuttle so he would land next to the large creature. Jaguada had breathable air, which made Luke's job much easier. He unstrapped from his crash webbing and moved down the boarding ramp of the shuttle. There he put on the body harness and Mara helped him tighten it up. As she finished cinching up his leg straps she looked up to him. "This is your last chance to change your mind."

Luke smiled sadly. "I can't. If Ben's real, he needs me."

"I need you," Mara said emotionally as her head dropped in despair.

He put a finger under her chin lifting it up until he could plant a gentle kiss on her lips. "Mara, I want to stay here more than anything, but I need to make sure my son's all right. This is just a recon expedition. I go into Waru, you pull me out, and then we can discuss the future."

"Luke, you have no way of knowing what will happen. It is very likely when I pull you out, you won't be you, but the Luke of 14 ABY. In that case you will have no choice but to stay in your dimension. And then what am I going to do with naïve farm boy Luke?"

He gave her a smug grin. "I am fairly sure he'll let you do pretty much anything you want to do with him."

She gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Seriously, what if it isn't you, but him?"

He looked at her lovingly. "If we switch places and he comes back, promise me that you will be nice to him."

She shook her head and gave him a weak smile. "I promise."

His face turned serious. "This is not goodbye Mara. A Luke Skywalker will come back to you. Just hit the switch for the hoist as soon as I am all the way into Waru." He bent and gave her another deep loving kiss. "It's going to work."

Mara nodded and hooked the winch cable to his back safety ring. They then pulled the line out until they were standing beside the large inter-dimensional creature.

"No matter what happens, please remember I love you, and the younger version of me also loved you." With that he brought her into an amorous embrace. When he stepped back he could see tears in her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "I love you," he repeated softly.

"I love you too," she finally was able to get out before tears rolled down her cheeks. Mara turned and walked toward the ship. She climbed up to the winch control panel of the freighter and put her hands on the retract controls. "Luke," she called out. "If it turns out it was all a dream…while you are in there, dream up something nice for Ben…and for the galaxy."

Luke smiled. "I will."

Mara gave him a grim smile. "Are you ready?"

Luke turned toward Waru, "Ready."

Luke gazed up at the towering gold plated, trans-dimensional creature. He took a deep breath, steadying himself, and with great trepidation he entered the gelatinous mass that was Waru.


	17. Chapter 17

Luke gasped for air as he suddenly regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and his vision swam. The feeling of vertigo hit him as he fought back a sour taste in his throat.

"Dad, you're awake," came the sound of a very familiar voice. Luke turned in time to see the blurry image of his teenage son before the boy grabbed him up in a firm hug.

"Ben!" Luke cried out as he returned the embrace.

"Dad, you had us worried," Ben said as he squeezed his father so hard Luke thought he would break a rib. When they parted both men were in tears. Ben slapped away the drops of moisture and tried to pretend he wasn't crying, but Luke gazed at his son unabashed, his tear streaked face beaming with joy. He had his son back; he was with Ben.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Luke said as he gazed around his surroundings. He was no longer on the _Jade Shadow_ where he expected to wake up. "Where are we Ben?"

"You are in the medbay of Tenal Ka's flagship the _Dragon Queen II_." Ben looked towards the room's entryway and called out. "Uncle Han, come here!" After a short pause, Han Solo walked into the room and a bright smile blossomed across his face when he saw Luke conscious.

"Luke! You're finally awake." Han pulled out his comlink. "I need to call your sister. She has been crazy with worry."

As Han made his call, Luke turned to Ben and smiled. How he missed seeing his son. "What happened to me Ben?"

Ben frowned. "You and a dozen of other Jedi became ill after our misadventure on Upekzar. Cilghal didn't think it had anything to do with the darkside. She believes a virus on the planet affected a small number of Jedi. It caused dizziness, confusion and in some cases unconsciousness. We evacuated those infected to the _Dragon Queen II_ where they could receive proper medical care. You've been in a coma for weeks. All the other Jedi recovered quickly. You are the last to wake up."

Han had finished his conversation with Leia and shut down the comlink. He turned to the Jedi and grinned. "It was almost like you didn't want to wake up, Kid." A sly smirk crossed the former smuggler's face. "It looked like you were having some _really_ great dreams."

Ben blushed profusely at his uncle's comment. He quickly stood and began walking to the exit. "I'll let the doctors know he's awake." He turned and gave his father a steady gaze. "I hope you were dreaming about mom…although that is still a disturbing thought for me." Ben shuddered as he left the room.

Luke frowned in confusion and turned to Han for an explanation. His brother-in-law just laughed. "Luke, you may have been unconscious but the monitors showed brain activity off the charts. You were dreaming the whole time."

Luke shook his head, "So? Why is he upset?" He motioned his head in the direction that Ben had gone.

Han chuckled. "He's just a little embarrassed. Although you were unconscious you experienced what the nurses called," Han hesitated for a second and picked up a datapad attached to the end of Luke's bed. "Here it is. You were exhibiting chronic nocturnal penile tumescence." Han put down the datapad and chuckled. "The nurses were quite impressed…especially for a man of your age."

Luke groaned in embarrassment. "Do you mean I was…"

"Tenting your sheets," Han said with a laugh. "Yes and often. Those must have been some awesome dreams."

Luke closed his eyes in mortification. "I was dreaming of Mara," Luke finally said. "It was a beautiful dream where we spent time alone on a beach."

But was it a dream? Luke wasn't sure if his short time with Mara was actually a dream or what he was experiencing now was a delusion. If Mara was real then she should pull him out of Waru and away from this realm within a week. Until then Luke decided not to tell anybody he believed he was in another dimension.

Han gave Luke a sad smile as he reached out and squeezed the Jedi's shoulder. "I'm glad Luke. After the nightmare we have suffered the last couple decades…you deserve to have some happy thoughts." Han sat down in the chair next to the bed. "That may explain why it took so long for you to wake up." He gave Luke a bittersweet smile. "If I was having a dream where Anakin, Jacen and Chewie were alive…a dream when Jacen wasn't Sith and my daughter didn't have to kill her own twin…well, then I wouldn't want to wake up either."

Ben returned to the room with a Hapan medical physician. After checking Luke's vitals and asking him a few questions the doctor disconnected the tubes attached to Luke and cleared him for discharge. Han helped Luke out of bed and Luke noticed his body felt like he had been lying prone for weeks. He was stiff and weak as if his muscles had atrophied while unconscious. This world felt real, but how could he be sure? He had told Mara he would know he was dreaming if he witnessed something so outrageous it couldn't possibly happen in reality. As he changed out of his hospital robe and back into his clothing he decided to test that theory by asking Han and Ben some questions

"So what's happened while I was asleep?" he asked Ben.

A slight grin crossed his son's face. "What hasn't happened?" he said with a sarcastic tone. "The Coruscant BAMR News Network has reported that you are the drug lord kingpin of a Jedi Spice Cartel."

Han laughed. "I love that story," he grinned at Luke. "I thought I was the only Spice smuggler in the family."

Luke's stomach dropped. He was being accused of being a drug lord? He sighed internally as he realized Cilghal must have been right…this was a dream. It was a Waru-induced nightmare where his worse fears would be played out.

"I like the story where the Jedi are labeled trained assassins with a documented history of violence," Ben grinned at his father. "So now I'm a hired assassin to a spice cartel warlord."

Han laughed. "I'm glad the BAMR News Network is here to tell us these things."

"Unbiased and accurate—we report, you decide," Ben chuckled as he repeated the news network's motto.

Luke shook his head in confusion as he buttoned up his pants. "Why would anybody think I would become a spice dealer?"

"Didn't you know Dad," Ben said with a snicker. "We want to keep the galaxy enslaved, therefore we are using the drug running profits to subvert anti-slavery abolitionists."

"What?" Luke stammered.

"And when we're not doing that we are funding covert operations to destabilize legitimate governments along the entire galactic rim," Ben continued.

"The media hasn't come out and said it yet, but we are pretty sure they will eventually report that you have fallen to the darkside and decided to become Emperor," Han said with a sardonic tone.

"That's crazy," Luke muttered as he pulled on his tunic.

"Of course it's crazy, that's how we realized the Sith Sabers have infiltrated the media and parts of the government. Leia thinks they are using the Force to lull people into a receptive state of mind," Han explained.

Luke paused at that comment. Up to that point he was ready to commit to the idea that he was dreaming, but that was a semi-plausible explanation for an almost implausible situation. Maybe he wasn't dreaming. The situation was frustrating; he hated not knowing. All he could do is continue on until Mara pulled him out of Waru. Hopefully by then he would have some understanding as to what was happening to him.

.

.

.

**_Coruscant_ **

As the days turned to weeks, Luke became more and more convinced that his time with Mara Jade was a dream-otherwise she would have pulled him out of Waru by now. The other possibility was he switched bodies with the Luke Skywalker of 14ABY. If that was the case, he hoped Mara and that Luke would find happiness together. Either way, he was most likely in his intended dimension and reality. It was a dark and grim galaxy, but he was with his son and together they would face and overcome the evil that threatened to tear the galaxy apart.

Still…sometimes something so absurd would happen that, once again, Luke would question the veracity of this reality.

In his fight against the Sith and Abeloth, Luke found himself fighting horrific battles that bordered on the surreal. Abeloth took over the Jedi Temple computer system…much like Callista did on the _Eye of Palpatine_. It was such a weird coincidence that Luke was positive it couldn't be real. For a week or two he expected Mara to suddenly pull him out of this dream and back to the other reality…but it didn't happen and he remained waiting.

Raynar Thul returned from the Killik Celestial Palace and told Luke a farfetched story about mythical beings called Celestials that kept the Force in balance. There was supposed to be a son and daughter who would team up to kill Abeloth, but these immortals died …which would go counter to logic. If you are immortal you can't die. Obviously, absolutely ridiculously improbable events were commonplace in this galaxy.

He fought against Abeloth in the Jedi Temple as she brought terror to Coruscant in the form the worldquakes, lava and death clouds of toxic gases. The Jedi fought Abeloth in the Beyond Shadows realm and on her homeworld. They fought until they finally triumphed over the dark entity…maybe. There was a report of Jedi attacked by an Abeloth-like tentacle in the outer rim territories that made Luke wonder if she truly was dead.

During his research of Abeloth he discovered historical information pertaining to something called the Dagger of Mortis, which was supposed to be located at the Mortis Monolith. The dagger was believed to be the only weapon capable of killing a being like Abeloth. Luke scoffed at the idea of Jedi Knights going on a quest for a magical dagger to be used to slay an evil Force deity—it was like something out of a children's cartoon holoshow. But he sent ten Jedi out to look for the mythical blade just in case it was a simply a fanciful name for an actual weapon.

After months of fighting, the Jedi freed the galaxy from the clutches of Abeloth and drove the Sith back to their home planet, but you wouldn't know it by the reaction of the populace. Instead of seeing them as savors, the Jedi ended up as the scapegoats for the billions of deaths that occurred on Coruscant and other locations. As the anti-Jedi sentiment grew, Luke sadly agreed to take the Jedi Order off of the city-world and move to the planet _Shedu Maad_ located in the Transitory Mists—a region of ionized space that surrounded the Hapes Cluster. The mists made travel within the area dangerous unless you knew the proper flight paths. The Jedi hoped it would hide them from the Sith the same way it hid the Hapan pirates that once traverse the area thousands of years in the past.

After five months had passed Luke realized if he was going to go home to Mara Jade it would have happened by now. He was ecstatic to have his son back, but he missed Mara dearly. He wished there was a way he could have both of them in his life…but it looked like that was not the will of the Force.

Luke gave a caustic chuckle at the irony. When he was pulled out of Waru the second time he had told his sister he had hoped he was dreaming, that Ben was watching over him in a hospital and he was experiencing a coma-induced illusion. It looked like he got his wish. It was a bittersweet realization, but at least he had his son and a very, very sweet dream of his late wife that would follow him until his dying day.

.

.

.

**_Shedu Maad_ **

**_60 ABY: Maternity Ward_ **

"Jedi Grand Master Skywalker, you may come in now," the young female neonatal nurse called out.

Luke got up from the waiting area chair and went into the delivery room when her found his son holding a small baby and beaming with pride. Luke grinned as he looked down at his first-born grandson. He was red and wrinkly but he could see wisps of blond hair on his head and when his eyes opened they were a brilliant blue. "He has my hair and your eyes," Luke commented happily.

Ben smiled warmly. "I wish Mom could have seen him."

Look nodded. "So do I." He reached out and touched his grandson's hand and marveled at how small he was. It was so long since Ben was a youngling that Luke had forgotten how tiny babies were. "Did you and Syra decide on a name?" Luke asked referring to Syra Senso, Ben's wife of six years.

Syra was a young Hapan Jedi who came to train at _Shedu Maad_ ten years earlier. She was a year younger than Ben and the young blond woman immediately attracted the attention of Luke's son and just about every other unattached male at the academy. She was intelligent, attractive and had a body of a gymnast. Ben was instantly smitten. Luckily for Ben it didn't take ten years and a Force intervention for him to attract the attention of girl of his dreams. They were dating within a few months and after four years they finally made the leap into marriage. And now they had their first child.

"His name is Markus Skywalker. We named him after Syra's grandfather," he gave his father an almost apologetic look. "We would have named him after someone in our family, but I thought naming him Luke would be a big name to live up to and…well I just couldn't name him Anakin."

"Markus is a wonderful name," Luke said as he gazed lovingly down at his grandson. "Can I hold him?"

Ben smiled and handed the baby to his Dad. Luke rocked the infant in his arms and hoped somewhere Mara was watching them and could see her grandson. "He's beautiful."

.

.

.

**98 ABY: _Hapes-Capital City Critical Care Hospital_**

Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker sat slumped in his bed as he struggled to breathe. He had attempted multiple times to put himself into a healing trance, but even the Force couldn't help him ward off whatever was afflicting him. After multiple medical tests turned up nothing and his condition worsened, Luke decided it was time to notify his family.

He looked to the young nurse who checked on him almost hourly since he was admitted a day earlier.

"Nurse," Luke said between bouts of coughing fits. "Please notify my son that I would like to see him."

.

.

.

"Jedi Grand Master Skywalker, you can come in now," the Hapen nurse called. Ben stood and followed the young human into the Intensive Care ward.

"How is my father?" he asked anxiously.

"His condition is complex," she said softly. "We thought he was suffering from a pleural effusion, but when we did a chest scan on your father we couldn't find any fluid build up. We are testing for bacterial or viral infections, but right now we are truly perplexed by his condition. He's having trouble breathing, but we see no reason for his difficulty."

As they entered the hospital room, Luke looked up and smiled. "Ben," he said weakly but his face couldn't conceal the joy of seeing his son.

"I'll leave you two alone," the nurse said with a nod as she left.

"Thank you," Luke said with some difficulty. Luke raised the head of the bed up until he was in semi-sitting position.

Ben smiled. " How are you, Dad?"

"I'm not doing well," Luke gasped. That was probably the understatement of the year. Luke wasn't sure what was going on with his medical condition, but he knew it was serious. He was extremely glad he could see Ben before things got worse. "How are my grandkids?" Luke said, quickly changing the subject to something more cheerful. It had been months since he had seen his two grandsons Markus and Darik and he missed them greatly. Both were grown men now and Ben's oldest son Markus had given Luke two great grandsons.

"They're fine. I called Syra and she's on her way. Markus and Darik will be here tomorrow. Markus and his wife are bringing your great grandsons Nat and Kol. You will have four generations of Skywalkers in one room," Ben said to his father. "So hang in there, Dad."

"I'll try," Luke said while wheezing. When he saw his son about to respond, Luke raised a hand halting him. "I know, I know, do or do not, there is no try." A sudden coughing fit hit Luke as he strained to pull oxygen into his lungs.

Luke never imagined he would live to be over one hundred years old, not the way he lived. His constant fight against Sith and other malcontents put a great stress on his body. At this point he was sure he was being held together by scar tissue only. When he looked into the mirror he no longer saw the hero of the rebellion, but a graying, old man who was tired of the struggles of life. He was glad he was able to watch Ben grow up and to see him have children and then grandchildren, but Luke was tired and more than anything he wanted to be back with the Flow of the Force… to be with his wife Mara.

Gods he missed her. He missed her sarcastic sense of humor, her laugh, her smile… her sweet and gentle touch. It had been fifty-eight years since Mara's death. Luke never remarried; he never even dated. Mara may have not have been the first woman he loved, but she was the last. After ten years of mourning, Leia started encouraging him to date, but he refused. At first he told himself it was too soon to move on. Then he convinced himself that the fight against the Sith was paramount. Finally he decided that any woman who was with him would immediately be a target of assassination…and he couldn't risk endangering somebody's life. He did have close platonic friendships with women. A few of them probably wanted more…but all he wanted was his wife Mara.

"Ben," Luke said struggling to get each word out. "My time is short. I wanted you to know that I'll always love you and your family. Without you I don't think I would have been able to go on after your Mother's death." Luke stopped and took a few deep breaths. "You are everything I could have ever hoped for in a son. I know your mother would be proud of your accomplishments…I know I am."

Ben came by his father's bedside and put a hand over his. "Dad, please don't talk like that. You're not dying." Ben said as his bottom lip trembled with emotion. "You can't die."

Luke chuckled as he remembered saying those same words to Yoda…right before he passed away. "There is no death, there is the Force," Luke whispered to his son.

"Yeah, I know," Ben said sadly as he sat down next to his father's bedside. "I remember Mom coming back as a spirit to see me." He looked over to his father. "Do you think when the time does come you'll see her—that you'll be together again?"

Luke smiled softly. "I know she's waiting for me. I feel her presence. I don't think she has ever really left me."

Ben nodded solemnly. "Dad, I just want to say I always felt loved…by you and Mom." He paused for a moment. "I couldn't ask for a better father. I love you."

"I love you too," Luke said as his breathing became more labored. Luke 's head jerked to the side when he saw movement at the corner of his eye. When he looked straight on the shadowy image disappeared, but when he looked away he could definitely sense motion in his peripheral vision. He looked back and now he was sure he was seeing something. It was the outline of a woman shimmering with a golden aura. As the figure grew closer Luke gasped in recognition.

A wide grin broke out on Luke's face. "Do you see her?" Luke gasped.

Ben looked over to the wall. "See who, Dad?"

Despite his breathing difficulty Luke smiled widely. "It's your mom. It's my Mara." Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked back to his son. "She's come for me. Your mom has come for me." He turned his attention back to the wall and held a hand out reaching out to the love of his life.

A panicked look crossed Ben's face. "Dad, stay here; don't leave me."

Luke looked back to Ben. He was no longer the teenage boy he worried about so many decades ago. He was a Jedi Grand Master with greying hair and grandchildren of his own. "Ben you don't need me anymore. You're a grown man. My grandchildren are grown men and I am at the end of my life." A coughing spasm seized him and bile rose in the back of his throat. He looked back to Ben with pleading eyes. "Let me go Ben. I miss her," tears were flowing down Luke's face. "I miss her," he repeated. "We should never have been separated. We belong together."

Luke turned back to the wall and smiled as the image of Mara came closer. Her red hair billowed around her as she moved towards Luke, her hands stretched out, reaching for him. "I love you and your family Ben," Luke said as darkness slowly closed in on him. "But it's time for me to be with your mother. It's time for me to go home."

Luke reached out and grasped Mara's hand. He could no longer hear his son talking. The medical ward melted away and all he could see was his wife smiling and pulling him towards an iridescent glow in the distance. "Goodbye Ben," he whispered.

As Luke broke free of the mortal realm he lived in for over a hundred years, he eagerly followed Mara into the shifting gleam of the light.

 


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

Luke became conscious of a burning sensation running down his back and legs as he was dragged across a hot surface. He could hear the wind whipping around him accompanied by an uncomfortable feeling of sand rasping against his skin. As his eyes fluttered open a harsh light temporarily blinded him. He blinked his eyes trying to regain focus, but the blurring persisted. A shadow fell over him and he could make out the silhouette of a woman blocking the intense light. "Luke, are you alright?"

He tried to answer but he began coughing and then his stomach lurched. He rolled over on his hands and knees and vomited up a stream of yellow ichor. "What the…?" he groaned as he tried to spit up a foul tasting fluid out of his mouth. He reached up and dragged his fingers over his face trying to remove the fetid gel that appeared to cover his entire body. He wondered if the Hapan medical facility had started using a different type of bacta. "Gods, that's awful tasting."

"Thank the Force, you're alright," Luke could hear a familiar voice exclaim. "Kriff Luke, you're from Tatooine. You should know what winches will work in a desert and which ones will seize up when a little sand gets into the gearbox! Stang, I thought you were going to drown in there!"

Luke tried to focus on the speaker, but a gelatinous film covering his eyes fogged his vision. "What? Mara?"

There was a short pause before the voice continued. "Shavit! I have naïve farm boy Luke, don't I?" There was a grunt of disgust. "I can't believe I had to put my arm into that monstrosity to get you out. The smell is awful."

"Mara?" He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his sight. "Am I dead?" Luke asked confused wondering if he was now in the netherworld.

"Yes, it's Mara and no, you're not dead…although I feel like blasting you for insisting on coming here."

Luke's head was spinning as he tried to piece together what was going on. "What happened? What's going on?"

"I told you what happened. Sand got into the gearbox for the winch. I had to pull the cable in by hand." Mara explained. "I almost had you all the way out when you snagged on something…probably Waru's pancreas or prostate," she made a gagging sound for emphasis. "Luckily you were within arm's reach by then."

"What?" Luke's eyes finally cleared enough to see Mara Jade looking down at him. "You pulled me out of Waru?" Luke said in shock. He looked at his hands. No longer were the wrinkled fingers of a centurion, but the hands of a young man. "You've got to be kriff'n kidding me!" Luke muttered in disbelief as he fell over on his back and gazed dumbly at the bright blue sky of Jaguada.

"Luke, look at me." Mara stared at him intently and he could see in her eyes she was concerned as to which Luke Skywalker came back to her.

"It's me Mara, the Jedi Grand Master." His hands came up and rubbed his temples. "Mara I lived over fifty years in that other reality. How long was I in Waru?"

"A few minutes. I'm sorry Luke. The hoist jammed. I got you out as soon as possible," Mara apologized.

Luke closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath. "Don't be sorry. I'm glad it happened. I was able to see Ben grow old." He looked up to her and smiled warmly. "It's so good to see you again. It's been such a very, very long time." He reached up and grabbed her into his arms to kiss her.

Mara immediately pulled away retching. "Gods Luke, I don't want to have the taste of Waru in my mouth. We need to get you into a shower."

"Sorry," Luke said with a chuckle. "I definitely don't want you to associate me with that taste."

She smiled as she gently removed the syrupy goo from his face. "Did you find the answers you needed?"

Luke frowned as he slowly stood up. "I thought I did, but now I can't rule out any of the three possibilities." He gave her a resolute look. "But I'm not going back."

"What happened?"

"I woke up in a hospital in 44 ABY with Ben looking over me. I was told I fell into a coma. I thought you would pull me back after a week or so…but decades passed and eventually I accepted the idea that you were a dream. I watched Ben grow up to a man. He gave me grandchildren and great grandchildren." He shook his head in confusion. "But now I have no idea as to what happened. I can never be certain that I didn't dream up what I just experienced…or what I am experiencing now."

"So what are you going to do?"

Luke looked back to Waru. "If I was supposed to be in that reality…my time there is done. I lived out my entire natural life. Ben doesn't need me anymore." Luke gave her a poignant smile. "When I was pulled out of Waru in this reality I told Cilghal that I didn't want to do my life over. I wanted to go back to my son and watch him grow and have a family…well, I did that."

Mara went to hug Luke, but the stench of Waru was too overwhelming. She instead settled for holding his hands. "I'm sorry that you have to start all over again."

He smiled. "I would live a thousand lifetimes…if I could live them with you."

Mara chuckled. "That is such a sweet sentiment that it is almost sappy."

"It's true, though," Luke replied with unabashed affection.

"So what is your plan now?" she asked.

"What I plan to do now is live my life here in this reality. I am going to be the best Jedi I can and learn from my mistakes. I'm going to marry you and have a family one day."

"Oh, really? Don't I have any say in this?"

Luke grinned. "Sure, you can say yes or no." Luke dropped to his knees in front of her. "Mara Jade, will you marr…"

"Stop!" Mara shouted out abruptly. "Luke if your intention is to proposed to me, I don't want you doing it while covered by the visceral fluid of some trans-dimensional monster. I would like a more romantic story to tell our children in the future."

Luke smiled widely as he stood up. "Children? That sounds plural…it also sounds like a _yes_ to my uncompleted question."

"Maybe," she said with a grin. "Why don't we get you into a sonic shower so we can start practicing some family making techniques."

He leaned forward and carefully placed a kiss on her forehead. "I love that idea…and I love you."

"I love you too Farmboy."

Luke smiled at Mara tenderly. "Our love is timeless."

.

.

.

**_Chandrilla: 14.5 ABY_ **

Luke and Mara sat in a beach cabana watching the surf and listening to the birds flying overhead.

"It was nice for Mon Mothma to lend us her beach home again as an engagement present. Did your sister have to pull some more strings?" Mara asked as she ran a hand down Luke's bare chest.

Luke smiled. "No, I asked her myself. I explained to her that this was the site of our first caress, our first kiss and the place where we made hot passionate love for the first time."

Mara lightly smacked his belly. "You better have not told her that."

Luke laughed. "I didn't, but I'm fairly sure she got a full report from her protocol droid." Luke's heated gaze ran down Mara's luscious body. She was wearing the two-piece swimsuit he had bought her during their previous visit. "You are beautiful," he whispered as he pulled her close and kissed her passionately, while projecting his intense desire for her through the Force.

"Luke, I can't believe your endurance," Mara chuckled. "And you accused me of being insatiable."

Luke cocked his head to the side confused. "I did? When?"

Mara looked at him bemused. "Before we went to Jaguada."

"You have to remember that was only a few weeks ago for you, but for me it was over five decades," Luke explained.

"So you don't remember our nights together," Mara said with a slight frown.

"Oh I remember our nights together." Luke said enthusiastically. "I just don't remember what I may have said between the times we made love. Believe me I remember making love to you. It's what kept me going during fifty-four years of celibacy."

Mara looked at him skeptically. "Luke, I honestly would understand if you moved on and got romantically involved with somebody in your other reality. You don't have to hide something like that."

"I wouldn't hide that from you," Luke said adamantly. "There honestly was no one else."

Mara's eyes narrowed. "For fifty years? Really?"

Luke sighed. "It's true. This X-Wing pilot was flying solo all those years. And it was hell on my flight stick."

Mara laughed. "That's hard to believe. Even in your old age, I'm sure you were incredibly sexy."

"Well, that may be true, but you are my one true love. Anybody else would pale in comparison." Luke grinned. "Not that there weren't a number of female Jedi students who strongly hinted that they wouldn't mind becoming the second Mrs. Skywalker."

"Oh really," Mara smirked. "Did they offer to polish your lightsaber?"

Luke shook his head. "No, but one obsessed young lady snuck into my living quarters one evening," He said with a smirk. "When I returned to my apartment I found her standing in my living room wearing a Jedi cloak…which she seductively dropped off her shoulders. She then said, ' _I **love** you Master Skywalker'_. Thankfully she was modest enough to wear lingerie."

"Oh Force!" Mara snickered. "What happened then?"

"It was a bit of a shock for an octogenarian. I must have projected such surprise through the Force that a dozen Jedi burst into my room, lightsabers in hand, and expecting to confront a Sith instead of a nineteen-year-old girl wearing shear undergarments."

Mara started laughing. "Even at eighty you are attracting the young ladies."

Luke couldn't help but chuckle. "Unfortunately for me, Corran was one of the Jedi who came to my rescue that night. He would tease me unmercifully after that. He would ask me if I wanted him to check under my bed for lovelorn Jedi nymphomaniacs."

"That had to embarrassing for the student." Mara guffawed. "What happened to her?"

Luke smiled. "She requested a transfer to one of our satellite Academies, which I approved. She turned out to be a great Jedi…who, even thirty years later, would turn a deep shade of red whenever she saw me."

"My poor love starved, Luke," Mara purred as she snuggled next to him. "Maybe we should start making up for lost time."

He smiled and pulled her into a loving embrace. "I think so too. I did some calculations and based on the rate we made love prior to me going to Jaguada, we need to have fifteen-thousand romantic interludes to make up for fifty lost years."

"Oh, is that all. Well, then I guess we should get started," Mara said as she gave him a sensual kiss.

.

.

.

**_Coruscant: 16 ABY_ **

**Location: _Medbay of the newly established Jedi Temple_**

Mara Jade Skywalker lay prone on the examination table anxiously waiting for the technician to perform the ultrasound for her and Luke's first child.

The young medic squirted cold gel on Mara's bulging stomach and then gently put the ultra sound sensor on her belly. Luke was looking over the technician's shoulder smiling broadly and his heart thumping in his chest.

An image coalesced on the screen before them. At first it just looked like an indistinct shape, but after some positioning Luke could make out a head, arms and legs. After moving the sensor around a few more minutes the technician looked to Luke and Mara. "The baby looks healthy. Do you want to know the sex?"

Mara looked over to Luke. "I don't mind."

Luke gave a broad grin that only a new father can manage without pulling a muscle in his face. "Yes," he said excitedly.

"It's a girl," the medic informed them.

Mara's smile dimmed slightly and she looked to Luke intently, as if she was trying to gauge his reaction.

Luke gave out a happy shout. "A girl." He looked to Mara. "I always wanted a girl."

Mara seemed to relax and she grinned happily. "I did too.

.

.

.

**_Coruscant_ **

**Date: _19 ABY_**

**Location: _Medbay of the newly established Jedi Temple_**

It was the second time Luke and Mara had been to the clinic to get an ultrasound. This time their young daughter, Hanna, accompanied them.

Luke smiled excitedly as he bounced the young girl on his knee. He pointed up to the screen. "Look at the screen Hanna, the medic is going to take holos of the baby in Mommy's tummy."

The strawberry blond girl giggled and clapped her hands together.

The technician moved the sensor until he was able to get a clear view of the baby. "Everything looks normal. Do you want to know the sex?"

Luke grinned. "Sure."

"It's another girl," the tech announced happily.

Mara smiled as she looked over to Luke. She knew he wanted a boy. No, that wasn't exactly correct…he wanted Ben. She hoped he wouldn't be too disappointed. But her Farmboy was overjoyed. She could see it in his face and feel it through the Force.

"Did you hear that Hanna! You're going to have a baby sister!" He cuddled his daughter and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He looked over to Mara and beamed with joy. "We're going to be parents again!"

Mara smiled, elated by his reaction, but she should have never doubted Luke. He wouldn't let his loving memory of his son Ben affect his undying love for his daughters.

.

.

.

**_Coruscant_ **

**Date: _25 ABY_**

**Location: _Skywalker Living Quarters Jedi Temple_**

Mara stumbled out of the bathroom in utter shock. She had what she thought was the flu for the last few weeks, but after three weeks of very familiar bouts of nausea she decided to check something out. She came around the corner of the hallway and entered the family room area. There Jedi Master Luke Skywalker was rolling around the ground with his two young daughters having a tickle fight. Right now he was tickling little Jessa and the redheaded six-year-old was laughing hysterically. Hanna jumped on her father's back and started tickling under his arms. Luke howled as he used the Force to levitate his daughter off him. She floated above him, giggling riotously. "I should tickle you while you are stuck up there," he gave the mock threat before he lowered the child into his arms.

He looked over and saw Mara watching them. "You want to join us Mommy?" he asked, then frowned, obviously sensing the turmoil in his wife. He placed Hanna on the ground and slowly stood up. The little girls chased after him wanting to play some more but Luke turned to them and told them he would play later.

He walked over to Mara. "What's wrong?"

Mara gave a nervous laugh, "I'm over forty and on repress meds. So how did this happen?" She held up a pregnancy indicator stick with a very noticeable plus sign signifying she was expecting.

Luke looked stunned, but then a smile crept across his face. "Mara, I think this is great news."

She sighed in relief. They had planned the other two pregnancies and Luke had expressed satisfaction with the size of his family, so she wasn't sure how he would react to having another baby late in life.

"I'm going to be a dad again!" he said happily. "I need to tell my sister. She is going to be thrilled."

Mara smiled. "Hopefully it will be a son to carry on the family name."

Luke shrugged. "Boy, girl, I don't care. In fact, I don't want to know the sex this time. Let's be surprised."

Mara sidled up next to him. "I love you."

He kissed her tenderly. "I love you too, Mara."

.

.

.

**_Coruscant_ **

**Date: _26.5 ABY_**

**Location: _Delivery Room,Medbay of the newly established Jedi Temple_**

After hours of grueling labor Luke and Mara's third child came into the world. "It's a boy," the doctor announced. The physician handed off the newborn to the nurse who took the infant aside to clean and wrap him in warm sheets.

The delivery nurse turned and handed the swaddled newborn to Luke. He gazed down at his new son lovingly and then turned to Mara with tears rolling down his cheeks. "It's him," he whispered.

Mara immediately knew whom he was talking about. "How do you know…just from the looks?"

Luke shook his head. "No, I can feel it in the Force. I would know Ben's Force signature anywhere." His smiled widened and Luke laughed. "You were on repress meds, but the Force decided to give us our son…to give us Ben. This baby's birth date is only a week off from Ben's." He walked over to Mara and held their redheaded son to see his mother.

"Mara I'd like you to meet your son, Ben Skywalker."

 

~THE END~


	19. Bonus Chapter:  Alternate Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After I finished this story readers asked me to write an ending where the original Luke returned to his body and the older Luke returned to his dimension.

Mara watched as Luke disappeared into Waru. She forced herself to wait a full second before she engaged the winch system. The hoist groaned to life and started winding in the cable tethered to Luke at an excruciatingly slow pace. When the line finally became taut Mara made a silent prayer that everything would work out for the best. She still had a bad feeling about his plan.

She let out a relieved breath as Luke emerged from the gelatinous interior of Waru. Mara made sure he was completely out before she disengaged the winch, disembarked from the shuttle and ran down to the Jedi.

She skidded to a stop next to Luke and pulled him into her arms. "Luke, are you alright?"

Luke tried to say something but he began coughing. He rolled over on his hands and knees and vomited up a stream of yellow ichor. "What the…?" he groaned as he tried to spit up a foul tasting fluid out of his mouth. He reached up and dragged his fingers over his face in an attempt to remove the fetid gel covering his body.

"Thank the Force, you're alright," Mara practically sobbed.

Luke turned to the sound of her voice. He blinked his eyes in a vain attempt to rid himself of the visceral fluid covering his face and eyes. "What? What's going on? Is that you Mara? Where am I?" Luke looked up toward the burning sun of Jaguada. "This isn't Crseih Station. Am I having delusions again?"

Mara's heart dropped as she gazed on Luke's very confused and handsome face. "Shavit! I have naïve farmboy Luke, don't I?" She shook her head sadly. She knew this was a possibility, but she hoped to get her Jedi Grand Master back.

"Mara, is that you?" He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his sight. "Am I dead?" Luke asked looking totally disorientated.

"Yes it's Mara and no you're not dead." She helped him onto his feet. "Come on, lets get you into a sonic shower and I'll tell you what happened."

.

.  
Luke came out of the 'fresher wearing nothing more than a towel and a perplexed expression on his face. "You said you had a change of clothing for me?"

Mara held a bundle of clothing she retrieved out of Luke's travel bag. As she brought the outfit to the Jedi she couldn't help but gaze at his muscular chest and reminisce of the many nights they would lay in bed, her hands running over his firm body. Her face flushed in embarrassment and desire. "Here," was all she could muster to say as she handed him his clothing.

Luke gave her an puzzled look. "Thanks," he whispered as he disappeared back into the 'fresher to dress.

He exited a few minutes later wearing a cream colored tunic over dark blue pants. It was clothing Mara purchased for the other Luke. She was tired of seeing him wearing black all the time and the Jedi Grand Master was more than willing to change his wardrobe to please her.

Luke looked down at his clothing. "I don't remember owning this outfit."

"You wouldn't," Mara replied. "I bought it for you a couple weeks ago."

Luke shook his head in confusion. "A couple weeks ago?" He sat down at the galley table across from her. "What is going on? How did I get here, Mara?"

Mara ran a hand over her face not knowing what to tell him. "Luke, do you remember anything from the last few weeks?"

Luke frowned. "I was…" Luke hesitated, "I think I was experiencing delusions while in Waru."

Mara exhaled audibly. "Did you dream you were a sixty-three-year-old Jedi Grand Master widower with a teenage son?"

Luke's eyes went wide. "How did you know?"

"Because it looks like you switched bodies with an older Luke Skywalker from an alternate dimension," she said softly, dreading the upcoming conversation.

"So what I experienced was real?" Luke whispered.

"In an alternate dimension. From what the other Luke told me our two dimensions are very different," she explained.

"Why am I here and not Crseih Station?" he asked again.

"When you were pulled out of Waru by your sister three weeks ago, you were confused and claimed to have a son named Ben. Shortly after your rescue Waru disappeared and with it any chance of finding out what really happened. A few days ago probe droids discovered Waru here on Jaguada and you…I mean the other Luke decided to come to this planet to try to either recon Waru or get back to his son." She paused before continuing. "It looks like he's back with his son."

"Why did you come with him and not my sister or Han?" Luke asked.

"I wanted to come with him. I refused to let him go alone," Mara admitted reluctantly.

Luke sat silently for a moment. "Did you know you and him were married in his world?"

She nodded.

Luke sat considering the situation. "But that doesn't mean it will happen here?"

Mara almost laughed. He came from a world with a planet full of Sith, a dark entity terrorizing the galaxy and a dead wife and now that he's back his main concern is the marital situation. "Don't worry Luke. There is no guarantee that anything that happened there will happen here."

He looked down. "Oh," he said. Mara thought she heard disappointment in his voice.

He looked up at her. "I'm glad I'm back. Everybody thought I went crazy. Cilghal theorized that something called Abeloth had taken my memories. I didn't know what was happening. I had a teenage boy calling me Dad. We were preparing to fight an entire army of Sith. I was a widower after you were killed by Jacen."

"I was killed by Jacen?" Mara sat back in shock.

"He didn't tell you?" Luke murmured.

She shook her head. "No, he said I was killed by a Sith Lord."

Luke sighed. "I was told that Jacen turned to the darkside, murdered you and then had to be killed by Jaina."

Mara groaned. "Oh poor Luke, his world was a lot worse than he led on." Her heart clenched at the thought of the man she loved going back to such an awful galaxy. She wished she could have gone with him. She loved him dearly and she missed him already.

Luke must have sensed her despair either through the Force or by the look on her face. "Mara…what happened between you two?"

"We bonded," she said simply. "Through the Force…and in other ways."

"You bonded?" The sound of astonishment was unmistakable. "He was only here for three weeks, right?"

Mara nodded sadly.

Luke had a confused and shocked expression. "Mara, you barely tolerate being around me…how did he manage to…what did he say to you to get you to be around him?"

She laughed. "He asked permission to court me."

"He asked permission to court you?" Luke sounded dumbfounded.

Mara buried her head in her hands and she could feel the tears starting to flow. "I love him."

"Mara," Luke said tenderly. "Don't cry." He went over to her and placed an arm over her shoulder. She responded by pulling him into an embrace and laying her head on his shoulder. Luke's eyes went wide. "Mara," he said slowly and cautiously. "How close did you two get?"

"We couldn't be closer," she said cryptically.

Luke's eyes flew open and he pulled away from her so he could look into her eyes. "Mara…did you two…did you have sex with my body?"

Mara couldn't help but laugh as Luke's cheeks flushed a bright red. "Sorry, but yes," she chuckled at his discomfort. "I had to work with what I had."

His jaw dropped. "So when I spent three weeks being first evaluated by doctors, then fighting Sith… he was here…you and him were…"Luke trailed off.

"Luke in his defense he was evaluated by Cilghal and she convinced him the thirty years of memories he had were a dream. He didn't know what happened." She gave him a steady look. "But he wanted what he dreamt about, he wanted a family and he wanted me."

Luke covered his eyes with his hand. "You've seen me naked," he moaned. "What did you two do?"

Mara blushed. "Ummm…just about everything," she hesitated slightly. "Don't be embarrassed, Luke, I liked what I saw."

Luke's head shot up. "Really?"

She almost rolled her eyes at his farmboy naiveté. "Luke you are a handsome, kind and loving man with a great body."

His eyes widened, "Really?"

She chuckled. "Yes really."

He stared at the galley table top deep in thought. "What's going to happen now Mara?"

She shrugged. "I get you home to your Academy."

Luke shook his head. "I mean with us?"

She gave him a steady gaze. "It depends, what do you want Luke?"

He gave her a shy smile. "I would like permission to court you."

She grinned happily as she leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek. "Permission granted. Court away."

.

.

.

Despite the ease that Mara moved and interacted with him, Luke found the situation a bit uncomfortable. He knew he should feel ecstatically grateful to his alter ego for forging a path into Mara's heart. After all, he had a crush on the beautiful woman for years. Unfortunately, it was an infatuation he never acted on due to her obvious aversion to his presence. He wondered how the Luke Skywalker of the alternate dimension was able to break past her barriers. He probably should simply ask Mara. She seemed much more open to talk than she has ever been.

Luke moved up to the cockpit where Mara was sitting contemplatively, watching the star lines pass by.

When she sensed him she smiled and motioned him to join her. He sat in the co-pilot seat silently trying to get up the nerve to talk to her.

"Just come out and talk," she finally said. "No need to work up the courage. I won't bite your head off."

Luke looked over surprised. "How did you know I was trying to work up the nerve to talk to you?"

She shrugged. "It appears that you and the other Luke are on the same Force wavelength. I had a close bond with him and it seems to have transferred to you."

Luke frowned in confusion. "What kind of bond?"

She looked over to him and smiled. Her gaze lingered on his face longer than one would do with a platonic friend and Luke once again found himself blushing. "The bond we had allowed us to feel each other's emotions and sometimes communicate words or ideas."

Luke shook his head in disbelief. "I still don't know how he managed to come so close to you in a few weeks," he looked over to Mara. "I thought you didn't like being around me."

Mara laughed. "I didn't, but he was married to a woman very similar to me for twenty years so he knew what to do and what not to do."

Luke gave a nod of understanding, although he didn't understand a thing. "What are the things I shouldn't do?"

Mara chuckled. "For starters, don't pester me to train as a Jedi. He didn't expect me to become a Jedi... he wanted me in any capacity."

"Okay," Luke said slowly, although he was positive it was Mara's destiny to become a Jedi.

"If it's my destiny to be a Jedi then let it come naturally and without you badgering me to train," Mara bit out.

Luke's jaw dropped. "Mara, I didn't say anything about it being your destiny to be a Jedi."

She turned to him irritated. "What do you mean you didn't say anything? You said…" she paused and then gave him a sheepish look. "I'm getting into your head, aren't I?"

She laughed and went back to staring out the Transparisteel window as if reading the mind of a Jedi Master was commonplace…and maybe it was commonplace with her and the other Luke.

"How much was I like him?" Luke asked.

"He was you…just more mature and self confident. I didn't scare him at all. He said things that probably would have gotten you killed," Mara gave Luke a grin.

"Oh," was all Luke said in response.

Mara frowned and looked over to him. "What's wrong?"

Luke gave a slight shrug. "I am just having a hard time wrapping my mind around what happened. Not just the body switching, but what you and him were doing together…with my body. It doesn't matter that you liked what you saw, the fact that you saw me…made love to me…is unsettling. You have very intimate knowledge of me, but I have the same just-friends familiarity of you. It feels very off balanced." He looked away embarrassed. He wasn't sure if he verbalized his concerns in an understandable way.

Mara pursed her lips in thought. "Are you saying you want to level the playing field?" She gave him a wicked smirk. "Are you suggesting I get naked and we make love…so we're even."

Luke's face heated at the suggestion. "No Mara! That is not what I'm suggesting." He shook his head in frustration. "I was just explaining how I felt about the situation. I didn't say I wanted to rectify the problem right now."

She threw him a disappointed look. "Pity."

"Mara, I want a relationship with you, not meaningless sex."

"Sex with you was never meaningless," Mara countered. "I had a relationship with the other Luke. I fell in love with him. I know this is not easy for you to handle, but it is also difficult for me." She gave him a reminiscent smile. "You went into Waru as the man I loved and came out with the same body, but not the same memories."

There was a long pause between the two before luke broke the silence. "Are you sorry that I'm the one who returned?"

She shook her head. "No. The other Luke said you deserved to have your life back…to live, love and have a family of your own and he was right."

Luke nodded. "And I'm supposed to have this family with you?"

She gave an exasperated breath. "Only if that's what you want. I am not going to stuncuff you to my bed at blaster point and have my way with you."

Luke chuckled. " _That_ would be interesting."

She smiled. "Now that sounds like something he would say." She stood and moved out of the cockpit and down to the crew compartment. "I need to use the sonic shower and get some sleep. I haven't slept well for days."

To Luke surprise she stripped off her shirt while moving down the corridor revealing a black bra underneath.

"Mara." Luke called out in astonishment.

"Yes," she turned, waiting for him to continue.

Luke buried his head into his hands. "Mara, am I going to have to see you walk around half dressed for the whole trip back?"

She looked down as if just realizing what she was doing. "Sorry, it's a habit."

Luke shook his head flabbergasted. "In three weeks you got into the habit of stripping while walking around a ship."

She gave him a smug look. "Or in his apartment. At least it is one of my less embarrassing habits I developed while around him."

"It's your least embarrassing habit. Do I even want to know your most embarrassing habit?"

She cocked her head to the side and gave him a teasing smile. "I don't think you're ready for that." She didn't bother putting her tunic back on, but tossed it into the ship's lone cabin and grabbed a bathrobe on the way out. "See, I have a bathrobe. No walking around in the nude today."

As she closed the door Luke slapped his palm to his forehead and wondered how he was going to handle this wild side of Mara that he never seen before.

.

.

.

Luke stood at the entryway of the shuttle's sleeping chamber. It was a small room only big enough for a small storage locker and a bed…one bed. "Mara," he called out the the beautiful redhead currently in the galley finishing a snack. "What are the sleeping arrangements?"

She finished chewing on the piece of fruit she was eating before she replied. "Luke and I slept together in the small cot." She hesitated for a second. "I can sleep in the Captain's chair in the cockpit."

Luke shook his head. "No, I'll sleep there. You take the bed."

Mara walked up to him and teased a finger down his spine startling a jump out of him. "The bed is big enough for two. We could sleep together." She ran her tongue over her lower lip seductively. It was a gesture that totally aroused the Jedi. "Completely clothed, that is," she added.

Luke swallowed hard. "I don't think I'm ready for that. I'll feel more comfortable sleeping in the cockpit."

She gave him a sensual smile. "I understand. It'll be a couple days before we are back. We can take turns sleeping in the pilot's chair or we can alternate sleep schedules."

Before Luke could respond she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Luke." She then turned and entered the shuttle cabin.

Luke wandered down the shuttle flight deck and flopped into the Captain's chair. He took a long calming breath. He always hoped Mara would one day warm up to him…but he never expected to face a Mara Jade who was very ready and willing to have a more intimate relationship.

He needed to meditate. He also needed a cold shower, but that will have to wait until they got to Coruscant.

.

.

.

**_Coruscant_ **

Luke piloted the shuttle to the designated docking bay near the Imperial Palace. He put the ship down for a gentle landing and then began the power down procedure. Mara was in the copilot seat assisting him in the post-flight check-off list before movement on the docking bay floor caught their attention.

"It's your sister and Han," Mara remarked. "She'll be glad to get you back. When the other Luke was pulled out of Waru calling out for his son and saying he was from 44 ABY…well, they all thought you lost it."

"Everybody in 44 ABY thought I was insane also." Luke's eyes grew somber. "I feel bad for Ben now. I kept denying his existence. Every time I said, _'I don't have a son_ ' he looked crushed." He paused for a moment. "I thought I was hallucinating. Now that I know I wasn't…I can't believe the pain I put him through. He already lost his mother…" Luke trailed off, not wanting to talk about Mara's death.

She gave him a warm smile as she stood and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "It's not your fault. Neither Luke knew what was going on. I'm sure Ben has his father back and he's happy."

Luke finished up the checks and stood. "I hope so. Their universe was awful. There was so much war and death."

Mara sighed mournfully. "Yes, way too much."

"I'm sorry Mara," Luke said realizing the man she loved was now in that horrific galaxy and was probably fighting a world of Sith and a dark Force entity.

Mara's eye's glazed over but no tears fell. "He is with his son. He's in the right place." She turned to the boarding ramp. "Come on, I promised your sister to bring you back in one piece."

They both moved down the ramp and were greeted by Leia and Han. Leia ran up to Luke and gave him a warm hug. "Luke, I'm so glad you're alright. I was so worried."

"I'm glad to be back. The other Luke's world was terrible."

Leia pulled away from her brother and gave him a curious look. "What?"

Mara chuckled. "It looks like Cilghal was wrong the entire time. Our Luke did switch places with an older Luke Skywalker from another dimension."

Leia's eyes went wide. "You mean that bizarre stories about the Vong invaders and Mara dying were true?"

Luke nodded. "Yes."

Han was the first one to raise a curious eyebrow. "Um, that means you weren't here in the last three-and-a-half weeks?" He looked over to Mara but hesitated and appeared to change his mind about asking the obvious question.

"Luke knows what happened between me and his double," Mara told Han.

Han mouthed a silent, _'Oh'._

Luke didn't want to discuss his sex life or his body's sex life out in public. "Mara and I need some time to work things out."

Leia took the hint. "Of course, you two probably want to get back to your apartment. We have a speeder here; we can drop you two off."

"Apartment…you mean apartments?" Luke asked. Then he realized what his sister was saying. He turned to Mara. "You moved into my apartment with him?"

"Okaaay," Han groaned. "Here," he tossed his speeder keycard to Luke. "The speeder's located on level 6, parking space 21. Leia and I are going to take an airtaxi."

Leia looked momentarily confused, but Han jerked his head in a ' _let's get out of here gesture'_ and she decided to follow her husband's lead. "Yes, take the speeder. I have some shopping to do." As she followed Han out of the docking bay she turned back to Luke and Mara. "Let's plan on getting together for dinner soon."

Luke shook his head in disbelief. "He talked you into moving in with him?"

"I wasn't really living with him. I was just staying in his apartment while on Coruscant." Mara grabbed the keycard from his hand and started walking to the parking lot. "You already know we had sex. Does it matter that I was living in your apartment while we were together?"

"Mara, don't you see how this could feel like a complete invasion of privacy to me?" He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Mara we're friends and I would love to be more than friends, but I would hope it would be on mutual terms. Not what I'm experiencing now."

"I know," Mara said quietly.

"No, you don't know," Luke shot back as they continued walking. "How would you like it if you were pulled out of Waru and then I told you that while you were off in another galaxy fighting Sith, I was having hot passionate sex with your body, living in your apartment, sleeping in your bed, going through your belongings, and invading your privacy in it's entirety? How would you handle that?"

When they arrived to the speeder Mara opened the door and slid into the driver's chair and waited for Luke to move into the passenger seat. She leaned forward, resting her head on the steering yoke. Her face was a mask of frustration and despair. "I don't know how I would handle it Luke." She looked up at him. "Please remember that neither he nor I knew what was going on. When he asked me to stay with him, he thought he was inviting me into _his_ apartment. Cilghal had him convinced that Waru gave him thirty years of false memories. He didn't understand what happened to him…otherwise I know he would have done things very differently."

Luke sighed and made a placating gesture. "It's not your fault Mara…it's nobody's fault." He gave her a weak smile. "I'm sorry that I'm making this harder than it should be." He steeled his nerves to reach out and gently caress her cheek. "You are a beautiful and desirable woman. I want a relationship with you. It's just I am having a hard time accepting what happened. Things have changed so dramatically. The last time I saw you I don't think you said more than three words to me before you stormed off."

Mara sighed audibly. "I know this is a big change for you, Luke. For years I have been cold, distant or outright hostile to you." She turned and gazed at him, her eyes wistful and unfathomable. "I told the other Luke…I might as well tell you," she said softly. "I have been attracted to you for a very long time, but I've been fighting those feelings. When I came to the Academy to train, it was mainly to be with you, to see if a relationship was possible."

"What?" Luke's eyes went wide. "I never realized you thought of me that way."

She gave a rueful nod of the head. "And that is why I left. I didn't want to see you every day, wanting, hoping that something will flourish between us, only to be disappointed." She averted her eyes and started the speeder. "Should I drop you off at your apartment?"

He gave her a faint smile. "Why don't you drop us off at _our_ apartment. I think we have a lot to talk about."

.

.

.

Mara smiled when she walked into Luke's apartment. The place held so many fond memories…albeit they were now bittersweet memories of her Grand Master. Luke followed her in closing the door behind them.

"I guess you know where everything is," he said with a slight chuckle. "Make yourself at home."

She made her way to the couch and sat down. She patted the cushion next to her inviting Luke to join her. He smiled and sat down next to her.

"What do we do next?" Luke asked tentatively.

"We need to talk. There are a few ways we can proceed. I can go back to work with Karrde and we can start dating…feel out the relationship," Mara said not liking that option at all. After spending so much time with Luke she really didn't want to be apart from him.

Luke shrugged noncommittally. "I guess we could do that." He paused in thought. "What else could we do?"

Mara pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Currently I am on a leave of absence from Karrde's organization, so we could stay here together in the apartment and get used to each other's company."

Luke's face flushed. "You mean as a couple?"

"Or as friends," Mara added. "You do have a spare bedroom."

Luke nodded slowly. "I think I like that idea a little better. You could then fill me in on what has happened in my reality while I was gone."

"There is one more option," Mara said nervously.

"And that is?"

"We pretend that everything that happened in the last few weeks happened between us. I know I can do it. It is you that may need some adjustment."

Luke made a nervous chuckle. "You mean jump right into being lovers?" He shook his head. "That's dangerous Mara. If things don't work out between us our friendship would be ruined."

Mara's head dipped in a sad gesture as she carefully chose her next words. "It's a little too late for caution…at least for me. Luke, you have to understand that for the last couple weeks we were lovers. We had an intense physical and mental bond. We had a connection through the Force. If a romantic relationship never develops between us…to me it will feel like a break up. I don't think it would ruin our friendship, but it would be painful for me to be around you for a while."

"So you're saying we have nothing to lose by jumping into a relationship, because…"

"Because I'm already deeply in love," Mara finished his sentence.

Luke started ringing his hands nervously. "How do we start that?"

Mara smiled. "By a kiss."

.

.

.

A nervous smile crossed his face. "Okay, a kiss, he said as he leaned in and gently brushed his lips across hers. He felt an anxious fluttering in his stomach as he pulled her close and deepened the kiss. This felt so good, but also thrilling, as if he was doing something dangerous and forbidden. He was surprised when he felt Mara reaching out to him with the Force. He wasn't sure her intentions, but trusted her implicitly and opened himself to the Force...and to her. He gasped and broke off the kiss as Mara's Force essence mingled with his, causing an intense feeling of euphoria to meander its way through his very soul. Luke found the sensation more intimate than any sexual encounter he had ever experienced.

"It's the bond," Mara explained. She gave him a worried look and he realized she was nervous about him rejecting this aspect of the relationship. Luke smiled and leaned back into the kiss and projected his desire through the Force. He smiled as she gasped in pleasure as his hands roamed across her body, touching and exploring.

Without breaking the kiss Mara maneuvered him so they were lying on the couch with Luke lying on top of her. Luke ran a hand under her tunic and caressed her breast through her bra. Her pleading moans aroused him intensely and he could feel his erection straining against his pants and pressing against Mara's body.

This was getting out of control, but he didn't want to stop. He broke off the kiss and leaned back gazing at the beautiful woman lying beneath him. Her piercing green eyes stared back questioningly, her red hair fanned out across the couch like a halo. She was beautiful and she brought out feelings in him he never experienced before. He slowly slid off her and stood. He grasped her hands and pulled her to her feet and gestured his head toward the bedroom. "Are we ready for this?"

Mara laughed. "Luke I've been ready for days."

"Good. Let's do it," he said softly as he held her hand and led her to the bedroom.

.

.

.

Luke lay in bed covered with sweat and trying to catch his breath and calm his pounding heart. "What the hell was that Mara?"

She snickered. "Just something your alter ego taught me. It's called Force enhanced sex."

Luke held up his hand in front of him and watched it tremble uncontrollably. "How long will my body vibrate like I touched a live electrical wire?"

"A few minutes," Mara laughed.

Luke marveled over what happened. He had been with other women before…but never with a Force sensitive lover this powerful and not one who knew how to increase the pleasure of love making through the Force. Gods, where did his double learn that technique? It certainly wasn't something Yoda ever taught him. For a second Luke worried that it may be a Sith skill, but then shook away the thought. If Palpatine knew about this he wouldn't have time to conquer the galaxy…he would be too busy kriffing his concubines.

After a few minutes Luke regained his breath and he turned over in bed to gaze at his lovely companion. She was lying next to him wearing nothing but a wide smile on her face. She reached out and ran a hand across his chest as she gave him an appraising look. "I love your pecs and abs," she almost purred out the words.

Luke laughed. "I noticed." His eyes raked over her body. "I love your… everything." He moved his hand down her side until it rested on her backside. He then gave her butt cheek a playful squeeze. "That was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced." He pulled her closer to him until their bodies were pressed together. "Let's do that again."

.

.

.

"Gods Mara!" Luke gasped. "He taught you _that_ also?"

She smirked. "Of course, he wasn't a Jedi _Grand_ Master for nothing."

Luke didn't respond to her jibe. He was having trouble breathing, not just from exertion, but from an overwhelming emotional sensation that continued to rush through his body. He knew it came from their bond. It was growing between them exponentially and it the most amazing feeling Luke had ever known. If Mara and his double were doing these incredible bonding and sexual escapades for weeks he could understand why Mara thought there was no going back for her…because now there was no going back for him. He was completely and utterly lost in love. He didn't think he could ever be without her; she was more addictive than any drug.

"Your body and mind will eventually become accustomed to the incredible sensations and our sexual bonding won't be so overpowering," Mara said obviously sensing his thoughts. "But it takes about fifteen or twenty encounters before the adjustment occurs."

Luke grinned. "I'm pretty sure my heart will explode if we do that fifteen more times in a row." He turned and grabbed her up in his arms. "But I probably can do another three or four rounds."

.

.

.

Luke couldn't go on. He was exhausted more than he had ever been. He turned to his equally worn out companion. "Mara, marry me."

He saw a slight roll of her eyes. "We haven't even been on a date." She started laughing as if some very funny thought occurred to her.

"What?" he asked.

She brought her laughing under control. "The other Luke asked his Mara to marry him without ever being on a date."

Luke smiled as he leaned in to kiss her neck. "See, it is either genetic or the will of the Force," he whispered to her. "Did she say yes?"

"Yes she did."

"See, it can work." Luke said enthusiastically. "They were happily married for over twenty years." He pulled her to him as he gave her a wild passionate kiss. He pulled away with a smile. "Marry me. I never want to be without you."

She looked like she was going to refuse but as Luke nuzzled her neck she seemed to have a change of heart. "Okay, but a small private wedding."

"Mara, we can elope if you like."

She smiled. "That sounds good to me."

.

.

.

Luke smiled brightly as he let himself into his apartment. The last four weeks were the best days of his life and his relationship with Mara was getting better and better. Their small wedding was scheduled for next month and she even agreed to accompany him back to Yavin IV to complete her training. He didn't think life could get better. As the door slid closed behind him he immediately sensed a disturbance in the Force. Something was wrong. Mara felt ...wrong. Her cheerful disposition of the last month was gone and now all he could feel through their bond was nervous apprehension.

"Mara?" Luke called out as his stomach knotted with anxiety. Things had been going so well lately that he begun to fear that life would find a way to squash his dreams and he would find himself alone again. As he walked deeper into the apartment he could feel her presence in the back bedroom. "Mara?"

She opened the bedroom door looking uneasy. Luke quickly scooped her into his arms and gave her a soft kiss. "What's wrong, love?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Luke, I'm pregnant."

He stepped back in shock. "What? When did you find out?"

"Today when I went to the doctor."

"I thought you went to the doctor for that leg strain from lightsaber practice?" Luke asked confused.

Mara nodded. "I did. I had a stretched ligament, but before they could prescribe a Perigen patch they gave me a pregnancy test as a precaution." She looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry. I'm on repress meds…I don't know how this happened."

A perplexed frown crossed Luke's face. "Mara, don't be sorry. We're getting married. I probably wouldn't have planned to have a child so early, but I was hoping to have children." His stomach clenched. "Are you saying you don't want the baby?" He couldn't believe the Mara he knew wouldn't want to keep a child of theirs, but he wasn't sure why this was upsetting her.

Mara shook her head fervidly. "I want the baby Luke, it's just…it's," she hesitated.

"It's just what?" Luke asked.

"The doctor said I was four or five weeks along."

Luke's brow furrowed in confusion, but then he did the math. "Oh," he said softly, but quickly recovered from his surprise. "Mara, it doesn't matter which Luke was with you during conception. It's my baby either way."

He could feel some of the anxiety drain from her body. "I wasn't sure how you would react," she said. "It's not only an unplanned pregnancy, but I don't know when conception occurred."

He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her tenderly. "Mara, I couldn't be happier." He took a step back his hands remaining on her shoulders. "Mara, put aside the fact that the baby is mine genetically, even if the other Luke was the one present at conception he deserves this." He paused in thought. "His son Ben was born during a war and by 44 ABY Ben had yet to see peace in his lifetime." Luke put his hand tenderly on Mara's belly. "Maybe at least one of his children can experience a life without galactic-wide death and destruction."

She smiled lovingly. "Luke, you're an amazing man."

"And you're a remarkable woman and you're going to make a wonderful mother."

"I hope so," Mara said before she leaned in for a passionate kiss.

.

.

.

**_Chandrilla- Mon Mothma's beach house._ ** **One year later.**

Luke sat in a shaded beach cabana watching the surf and listening to the sea birds squawk overhead. He turned to Mara and smiled. "This is nice. I can see why you would want to come back." His gaze slowly glided over her luscious figure. She was wearing a tantalizing two-piece teal bathing suit that flaunted her womanly assets perfectly. "I like that suit."

She smiled brightly. "Thanks, you bought it for me."

"I obviously have excellent taste in swimwear," he joked.

Mara chuckled. "The other Luke said if I wore this suit and asked you to be my boyfriend you wouldn't turn me down."

"He was right," a grin grew across his face. "Hopefully I will grow to be as wise as him."

Mara was about to respond when a whimper could be heard from between them. "It looks like somebody's waking up." She reached down and pulled her infant son into her arms. "How's my baby boy?"

The child opened his blue eyes and made a gurgling noise followed by what sounded like a laugh. Mara looked up to Luke, "He looks so much like you."

Luke cocked his head to the side as he examined the child. "I think he looks more like you. His hair is going to be red."

"But he has blue eyes," Mara pointed out. "And when he's hungry he whines like you."

"Ha ha, Mara, funny," Luke scoffed playfully. He reached out to his son. "Come here, Ben." Mara handed the child over to Luke who cradled the baby in his arms and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead."

"I never met the other Ben," Mara said softly. "Does our Ben remind you of him?"

Luke gazed down at his son tenderly. "Yes, he does. He feels the same in the Force." He looked up to his wife. "He was born ten years before the other Ben…so I know it wasn't the same egg and sperm that created him, but I wonder if that really matters. Could his soul be the same? Could he have the same Force essence as the other Ben?"

Mara shrugged. "We may never know. All I know is I love you two."

Luke leaned over and gave Mara a quick kiss. "I love you too." He turned to gaze down at his son and said in a sing song voice that only parents use with babies. "And I love you too. Yes I do."

"You sound ridiculous when you do that," Mara laughed.

"I don't care," Luke said with a wink. "Remember when that sleemo news crew caught me doing baby talk to Ben…they thought it would make me look stupid to the galaxy…but they ended up with over a billion Holoweb comments telling them how adorable I was."

"I think they were referring to Ben," Mara scoffed, but then smiled. "Okay, I admit, you are adorable also."

Luke's smile brightened. "Can you believe how things have changed in the course of a year?"

Mara shook her head in disbelief. "When I flew to Yavin IV a little over a year ago to chew you out for canceling my shipping contract I would have never believed I would end up married and with a son a year later. The Force works in mysterious ways."

A serious look crossed the Jedi's face. "I think it was the work of the Force, Mara." He looked down at his son. "The Force found a way to bring us together and give us a son." He looked up to his wife. "The Force may have also given the other Luke some well deserved happiness during some of his darkest days. Maybe after decades of non-stop war he needed a break and he needed his wife to remind him what he is fighting for…love and family."

She closed her eyes in thought. "I like the sound of that 'love and family'."

"Together forever," he added.

"Yes," she said softly. "Forever."

 


End file.
